My Little Porcelain Doll
by Aisyy
Summary: His revenge on Lydia would not be fast and painless. He would make her suffer. But it’s hard to hurt someone you love. BJ/LD, rated M for a number of good reasons.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One: Double Cross The Devil

"What the HELL! It's about time, I've been waiting out there for THREE BLOODY YEARS!" Beetlejuice howled in anger as he threw open the door to the small office sending papers flying. The woman behind the large wooden desk groaned out of frustration before waving a hand, gesturing for him to sit. She watched as he took the few steps to get to his seat before replying,

"I could have left you out there for another millennium." She spat leaning forward on her elbow as cigarette smoke swirled up through the slit across her neck. Beetlejuice chuckled lightly smiling charmingly.

"Now, you wouldn't go and do that to me, would ya sweetheart?"

Juno sat back in her chair looking all but impressed. "I would and don't, I repeat don't call me 'sweetheart' again."

The two fell silent as Juno went back to reorganizing the paper work stacked four feet high on the top of the desk. Beetlejuice took this opportunity to look around the room. It wasn't much, the tattered walls and cracked floors, a large busted up filing cabinet and all the rotting furniture. He relaxed in the chair starting to pick the bugs from his teeth with his long red fingernails. Juno looked up for a split second before going back through some papers and retrieving a small one-page document. "Damn." She said under her breath as she reread the page over another couple of times.

"What?" She looked up frowning. Juno gave a deep sign before reading the document again, this time out load for Beetlejuice to hear.

"In the case of, Beetlejuice

The council and board have carefully reviewed the case in question and have come to the conclusion that even though this man's deal with the living child, a one Lydia Deetz was not fully carried out, it is still legally in effect. The terms of the deal were here by met half way. Unless the maker of the deal, (meaning you.), and the associate completes the deal on terms of marriage the party in question may come and go in and out of the Neitherworld as he pleases but is still damned with the return for a length of time which is yet to be decided.

Sincerely,

Board of Directory

"So to put it in words you'd understand Beetlejuice, you are free to jump back and forth with out hassle but if someone says you name three times you return here and wait in the waiting room till the Board says you can leave again, and the only way you can become immune to the return would be to marry Miss Deetz, which I highly advise against." Juno warned shacking her cigarette at him with each stern word. On hearing these words Beetlejuice's smile took on a whole new form. His normal toothy waywardness grin was no more of the joking persona but it had turned into an evil sneer radiating all his pent up rage towards the people who had damned him to this hell. But not now, he told himself contentedly. He was free to leave and make sure he never had to come back again. All these years were not put to wait out there in the waiting room. Every second of every minute was put towards hating a plan to exact revenge on little Miss Deetz and her family. And this time, he'd get his way. This time he's come out the victorious one. He might not go as far as to kill the little bitch of a girl, but she'd suffer. Suffer for everything. Beetlejuice stood up slowly looking down at Juno giving a mock sad face.

"Juno, oh dear Juno, I hope you don't miss me too much." He said playfully, holding out his arms as if he wanted a hug.

"Get out, I have better things to do then put up with you." She snapped at him pointing to the door. Beetlejuice bowed and smiled devilishly as he strolled out the door towards hid newfound freedom. But first things first and that was to change out of his hideous suit and into something less…tacky?

Lydia stared at her feet, watching them as they slowly walked, one in front of the other along the curb. The old wind whipped around her, chilling her to the bone. Why did School have to get out so late? She asked herself. It was late fall and winter seamed to be coming early this year. Most of the leaves had fallen off the trees and lay about the ground in numerous amounts covering most of the road. Lydia hugged her math book closer to her body lowering her chin more. It wasn't the cold making her hug herself the way she was. A single tear fell down her cheek as she remembered the words her classmates had called her earlier that day at lunch.

"_Gee Lydia I didn't know the dead could walk? Don't you ever go out into the sun?"_

"_Don't look now but the vampire's coming to suck our blood."_

"_It isn't Halloween Lydia, you can get rid of the costume."_

The wind whistled through the trees and Lydia heard far off laugher, laugher made by her own expense most likely. The people at her school were so closed minded, or that's what she thought. They were all pod people, zombies, or sheep, all acting the same, all the time. Was it such a crime to be different? Lydia kicked a rock at her feet as she turned up the driveway towards her house. She paused briefly at the front door, whipping back her tears and taking a deep breath before going inside.

"I'm home!" Lydia called faking a semi happy tone. She waited for a response as she removed her backpack and coat. "Dad? …Delia?" Quickly she looked in the living room to her right, the kitchen around the stairs, the backyard. No one seamed to be home. There wasn't a note saying that they had stepped out or any other indication, and they hadn't mentioned anything that morning about not being home either. Lydia shrugged it off. They've done this kind of thing before so she thought nothing of it.

"Hey, Barbara? Adam?" Lydia called again loader so they'd hear her up in the attack. She jogged up the stairs to the second floor. "Hello?" Still nothing. "Where is everybody?" She said out load to herself. Lydia walked slowly to her room, her mind drifting away from her again. Earlier that morning her teacher had yelled at her for daydreaming in class. As a result she now had extra homework on the information she hadn't heard in class. Lydia closed the door to her room and leaned back against it closing her eyes. She sighed rolling her head to one side. It was good to be home but she wasn't looking forward to all the homework she had due the next day. All she was in the mood for was a nice long shower then nap. Maybe by then every one would be back from where ever they were. Tossing her coat and backpack onto the floor at the end of her bed Lydia grabbed a top and a pair of pants from her drawer, not really looking to see which once she picked of even if they matched, but with a whole wardrobe of nothing but black, red, green and dark purple it was hard to find something that didn't match.

Closing and locking the door to the washroom Lydia turned on the shower. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. 'I could wear less black…No!' she thought before telling herself in a stern voice. "I will not conform to what everyone else's expectations." She then started to undress as she told herself over and over that she only had to care about what she thought about herself. So what if she didn't have friends, she didn't need them. She was perfectly happy by herself. Stepping into the shower, Lydia gave a small jump as her cold skin hit the hot steaming water coming from the showerhead. A loft moan escaped her lips and she leaned her head back letting the water soaked it. The steam rose high and coated the room in a relaxing hot mist. By the time Lydia turned the shower off she had scrubbed ever inch of her till she entire body was a bright pink colour. At this point she felt so good she no longer cared about the homework laying in a pile at the foot of her bed, all her problems her gone. She wrapped a towel around her and walked back over to the mirror. Her hand rose to the glass to whip the steam from the mirror when the room started to feel incredibly cold. Lydia stepped away from the mirror looking into it's blurred depths. The overhead light flickered then turned off completely blackening the room. Lydia remained frozen in place, staring at the mirror in front of her. She could feel the temperature drop again, and again. Green, a green light lit up in the top corner of the mirror. And it wrote. Yes wrote, Lydia's eyes never left it until it finished and disappeared, she look back to where it had started and read it softly.

"Little girls should never double cross the devil." Lydia didn't know what to do. No, she had to be seeing things. This couldn't be happening. Her breathing came more rapid as she stared at the glowing letters written. The words vanished and new words came,

'_Make no mistake I will be back!'_

The room felt like it was spinning. Gasping for air, she could see her breath in the air from the cold. Her lips had turned blue and her skin felt like ice. Lydia was having a hard time keeping her balance and stumbled back against the wall dazed. In the back of her mind she heard psychotic laughter. It was him…she didn't dare bring her self to say him name, not even in her head. More laugher filled her ears. Lydia cupped her hands over her ears stumbling to the left then the right and soo all she remembered was a swift wind and her world went black…

A/N: Well it's not long or anything but it's the start. So what ya think? Really I'd love to know so please review. And does anyone really know how old Lydia was in the movie? Not that it matters. I'm just going to say for my fic's sake that she was 14 'cause in my story she's 17. And by now I guess you can tell why it's M rated. Over use of swear words and inappropriate imagery. And for those of you who like that kind of stuff, don't worry I have a lot more planed for the next couple of chapters. And so far for this chapter I have Crayon-Chan's and jillybear's best wishes, since they were the first ones to read it. Since being my friends I asked them to! So you guys… thank you!


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: I Bleed Black Blood

What fun the real world, he thought as he strolled through the fog aimlessly. It was late, almost midnight by him calculations. The wind was cold but he enjoyed it. The streets have been empty for a while now. As Beetlejuice walked along the invisible line in the centre of the road he laughed to himself. Looking up on his left he came to a stop at the bottom of a vacant driveway. Beetlejuice remembered the last time he was in that ugly house. He walked up the pavement before pausing as an up stairs light turned on. A little cruise he decided to see what was going on.

Walking a little closer Beetlejuice silently floated up to the window to look inside. The room was warmly lit but still gave off a creepy vibe that he kind of liked. The dark black curtains hid most of the room but he still managed to see two adults covering a sleeping teenage girl under her covers. The two standing by the bed he recognized automatically as the two good for nothing ghosts he had to help those years ago.

Grinding his teeth he forced himself not to zap them into oblivion. It wasn't their time… yet. He turned his attention to the girl and became puzzled. He knew her and at the same time didn't. Her bark hair fell over her pillow giving her a black halo. The clean porcelain skin made her face glow like an angel. She was, he had to admit, beautiful. He watched the Maitlands look sadly down at the girl before leaving the room.

Beetlejuice fazed through the window into the now dark room. He creped up and stood over the girl for a moment before recognizing her fully.

He smiled, "Hello Lydia." the sarcastic tone whispered through the room, echoing off the walls eerily. Beetlejuice lowered himself next to the bed, positioning himself a hair length away from Lydia's ear. "What, no hello for your ex-fiancé?" He chuckled, "Oh well. I'll get more then a simple greeting out of you. You just wait. But until then…sleep well my little sleeping beauty." Laughing again he stood up right. A threatening smile spread across his face as he looked down at Lydia's sleeping form.

"Two came first…" he said aloud looking at the door, "two come second. And you my dear, I'll save for last." His laughter filled the room as he headed for the door.

---

"Oh Adam." Barbara said pacing nervously around the dusty attack.

"Just relax." Adam replied wrapping his arms around her, bringing her into a hug. "It'll be fine, she'll be ok." He assured her softly.

"I hope so." Barbara hugged him back tightly.

"Oh me too!" Said a low snarl behind them. Spinning around Barbara gasped grabbing Adam by the arm. "You!" Adam yelled stepped in front of Barbara.

"'Cause really, I was planning on spending alot much more time with her." Beetlejuice continued with a wink.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Barbara yelled at him.

"Oh I'll do much more then that!" He laughed.

"Why you-"

"Barbara!" Adam warned nervously holding her back.

For a moment the two stared at Beetlejuice, he didn't seam to be paying much attention to them. He just lent against the attack door picking the dirt out from under his nails with his teeth.

"I don't know how you got out but we can still send you back!" Adam said harshly. Beetlejuice looked up and smiled.

"Try."

"Beetle-" With a snap of Beetlejuice fingers Adam was encased in solid ice. Barbara looked from Adam to Beetlejuice, pure horror plain as day on her face.

"You wanna to try?" He challenged. Barbara clenched her teeth together in anger.

"Bee-" The word was lost as Beetlejuice flicked at the air and she became silent. Her hands shot up to her face expecting a zipper of a plate but found nothing. Her fingertips ran over skin as she tried to found her mouth but it was no longer there. In it's place, a solid patch of skin.

Beetlejuice pushed himself off the wall, walking forward. Barbara tried to take a back off but her feet would move, she hastily looked down to see them melted to the floor. He came close up to her, leaning in so she could smell his awful breath.

"Don't worry about your little friend down stairs, I'll take good care of her." He hissed menacingly. "And you two, well lets just say, I hope you enjoy oblivion." Barbara's eyes whimpered in fear and Beetlejuice started to laugh like a maniac. He lifted up three fingers on his right hand and snapped…

---

Lydia sighed dreamily, slowly waking up from her wonderful sleep. She shifted under her covers before sitting bolt up right when she remembered what had happened. She looked down at her body. Someone had put her in the black silk nightdress that she slept in. Pausing to think she pushed her shoulder length hair behind her ears. Biting her lip she decided to get up. Throwing the heavy blankets off of her, Lydia swung her legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cold under her feet. Slowly and unsurely Lydia made her way out her door and down the hall toward the attic stairs. The wood boards creaked under her weight as she climbed them.

At the top she quietly knocked on the door but no one answered. She tried again a little louder. Still no one answered. Lydia turned the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open enough for her too look in.

"Barbara?" She asked softly. "Adam? …Hello?" The room was empty. Walking in, leaving the door open, she walked across the floor. Lydia sighed and dropped on to the dust couch by the window. She lowered her head staring at her feet.

"Why the long face, eh babes?"

Lydia jumped to her feet looking behind where she was just sitting. Her eyes wide she stared at the sleazy poltergeist sprawled over the back of the sofa. "B-B-B…" She tried to speak but fear stopped her. Beetlejuice took long strides closer to her.

_Think fast girl!_ She yelled at herself mentally. "What? How are you here?" she asked shacking as she backed up.

"Long story short, I have you to thank for it. Even if you didn't marry me, I still got half of what I wanted."

"Then why are you here?"

"Just a bit of fun, most 'cause you're the only one left that knows my name. Ya get me?"

She could send him back? Lydia's eyes shifted over to the door, she could make a run for it. Taking a deep breath she tried. "BEETLEJUICE!" She screamed running for the door.

"Jesus!" He groaned and zapped the door but he was too late, Lydia was down the stairs and headed for the first floor. Lydia looked over her shoulder to see if he was fallowing but saw nothing. _THUD!_ She tripped over something and fell to the flooring hard hitting her chin and elbows. Rolling over she saw Beetlejuice looming over her. Crawling back a cross the floor she managed to use the railing to pull herself back up.

Breathing hard she watched him advance at her. Scared of what he might do Lydia started jumping down the stairs, almost falling twice. She reached the front door but it wouldn't budge. He must have done something to it.

"Leaving so soon?" Beetlejuice said behind her. Lydia turned, watching him descend down the stairs. He was still far enough away that she could run out the back. Or so she thought. With a blink he stood tall in front of her, his chest a millimetre way from hers. "Look girl, I don't have the patients or the restraint for this." Lydia pushed her body against the door, bringing her arms up between her and the ghost.

"Bee, Beetle-" Beetlejuice clamped his hand over her mouth to shut her up. He lowered his head next to hers.

"I don't think so baby doll. And so far, all I've heard come out of your mouth is a danger to your self and me! But don't worry," He hissed against her ear. "I can fix the problem." Lydia heard the snap of his fingers and she jumped. But nothing seamed to have happened.

"There problem fixed." Lydia winced at the putrid smell of his breath. She pushed at his chest, making him get off of her, yelling out _'Get off!'_ but no sound came out of her mouth. Lydia noticed this instantly and grabbed at her throat. Her voice was gone.

"Speechless eh? What a nice characteristic in a woman these days." He said throwing out his arms in mock enthusiasm. _'Jerk!'_ Lydia thought. Keeping her eyes on him and her back to the wall she started creeping past him in the direction of the strip of hall towards the kitchen. He shook his head in frustration and spat something under his breath. Looking up he saw her Lydia half way down the hall at a sprint. Beetlejuice growled loudly and disappeared in a blaze of blue flames to a pear again at the kitchen door blocking her way. Lydia gasped not slowing down fast enough and run into him again. This time Beetlejuice wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her close to his body.

Lydia tried to scream and cry but no sound came. She thrashed her arms and legs around forcing Beetlejuice to let her go so he wouldn't get hit. Lydia stumbled over backwards and collided with the counter hitting her back, knocking over some pots and a couple of knives from their wooden holding case. Beetlejuice lunged forward at her pressing his chest against hers, his hands forming fists on the counter behind her back.

"THREE YEARS BABES!" He spat in her face. His toothy grin chilled her to the core. Tears filled Lydia's eyes. Beetlejuice smiled evilly leaning in closer to her. One of his hands left it's resting place and came to smooth up her outer thigh, bring her nightgown up with it.

"But it looks like I still get to kiss the would be bride."

Beetlejuice leaned in against her harder and kissed Lydia's lips firmly. Lydia thought she'd throw up, his bad breath was sick enough but the feeling of his lips on hers discussed her. He ran his long tong over her bottom lip hungrily. It quickly entered her mouth and Lydia groaned in fear but it seamed to excite Beetlejuice even more. His hands started to roam over her back and stomach starting to let three years of pent up lust loose on a small girl who wasn't even legal yet.

Beetlejuice roared out in pain. Lydia had grabbed on of the knives on the countertop and plunged it deep into his back between his shoulder blades. Beetlejuice backed away. Lydia fell to the floor, back to the cupboards. She watched his howl and shake as he crumpled to his knees. She could see the knife in his back as he rocked forward and back. A thick black liquid seeped out of the rip in his coat and soaking into the fabric, blotting his back. It leaked on to the floor around him making small puddles. Beetlejuice glared up at her. Lydia froze wanting to shrink back into the cupboard doors.

"I'll be back toots." He wheezed melting into a waterfall of black ooze. Lydia shrieked scrambling to her feet. She sighed hearing her own voice again. Looking down at the floor at the black ooze she stepped forward and knelt down next to it. Hesitatively she reached out her hand. It was thick and bits dried rather fast on her skin. Lydia gasped shaking her hand out of reflex. Blood. That's what it was, black blood. Standing up Lydia clamed down a bit more as the silence of her house surrounded her.

Ring

Lydia jumped as the phone rang. Uncertainly she picked up in up off its place on the wall and said in a small voice,

"Hello?"

An unformulated female voice answered on the other line, "Is this Lydia Deetz?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry to inform you dear but your parents are in the hospital."

Lydia almost dropped the phone. "Hospital?"

"Yes, they got into a car crash last night. We've been trying to reach you for hours."

---

A/N: smiles so what ya'll think? Ok so as I'm off again I can't take all owner ship for this chapter…well I can 'cause I was the only one writing it but I did get an idea from somewhere else. It any one here has seen the Matrix then you'd know what idea it was. Ya know the part near the beginning when agent Smith takes Neo in for questioning and his skin grows over his mouth. Well that's where I got that one idea. So other then that little bit, what do you think? I'd love to know so please review. And I really like having nothing to do in EPT now because that's the class where I came up with most of my ideas for this chapter. But then again what else can you do in a class with out a teacher? Oh well.

And to:

**LDeetz**: Thank you; since you liked the last chapter hope you like this one to.

**Siamese2005**: thank you for the order. And I agree, YAY, Beetlejuice and Lydia, well there's more here then in the last chapter.

**darkbangle**: thank you for being excited; now I hope you like this chapter.

**1woof1**: was this updated fast enough to get you to calm down a bit from your review? If so thank you. Please go into another frantic reviewers rave and review again.

**Keegan Eavan**: thank you for your review and just as your looking forward to seeing more chapters I'm looking forward to more great reviews.

**Crayon-Chan**: thank you sweetie. Glad you like it. See you at school. (Icky)


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Bump In The Night

His breathing came in short forced gasps. His body ached as he pulled himself up into the large dirt-brown leather armchair. Even thought Beetlejuice could not die from the wound he could still feel pain. He ground his teeth trying to sit up in the chair. He couldn't think; he needed to think clearly to be able to heal himself. Beetlejuice coughed loudly jolting forward, black blood spattered out of his mouth and ran down his chin. Closing his eye he forced his mind to clear. His red deformed nails dug into the armrests ripping through the ugly coloured fabric as he held his body upright. A sigh escaped Beetlejuice's lips as his body started to glow a dark rust colour. The deep bloody gash between his shoulders started to reattach its self, the skin on each side reaching out and reconnecting, sowing him back together.

Beetlejuice groaned cracking his neck. He shook himself, rolling his shoulders roughly. "What a night." He grunted dully. Feeling suddenly tired Beetlejuice leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. In his mind he saw her. Lydia. Her small frame cowering before him, the tears in her glossy black doll eyes, her messy dark hair falling over her face. She was so small and innocent. Beetlejuice chuckled. He loved the power he had over her. Her screams of pain and of fear were music to his ears. The thought made him smile. He wanted to do it again. Though he did not particularly lust for the girl he did how ever lust for power, the power over everyone else around him. "Ah babes." He laughed out loud.

She was so small, fragile, and innocent. His smirk grew. "When I'm done with you babes, you wont be so innocent any more." Beetlejuice said to the air. His shifty eyes scanned the room around him. Getting up Beetlejuice walked over to the only mirror in his house. There was only one because they weren't supposed to have mirrors in the first place, but he never did abide by the rules. Not when he was alive and not now. He looked himself up and down. His suit jacket was stained in his blood and torn in numerous places. There where grime and filth on the hem of his shirt and his pant legs were ankle deep in drying mud. He scuffed; to him he thought he looked fine.

"But I guess for you babes I could clean up a bit." He said snapping his fingers. His old tattered suit disappeared. In its place Beetlejuice was clad in a solid black _hole free_ suit, which made him look rather dashing. Beetlejuice smiled, impressed by his choice. He adjusted his collar and turned to leave. Crossing the room in long strides, "Hope you're ready babes, 'cause here I come." he declared slamming his door behind him.

---

Lydia hung up the phone. Her world was coming undone and she could do nothing. Grabbing the phone off the wall once more she dialled for a taxi. Hanging up for the last time she went to her room as fast as she could manage. She took an elastic from her dress and tied her hair up into a loose bun and walked over to her mirror. Lydia grimaced at her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy, bruises were starting to appear on her arms, legs and chin, and the bottom of her nightgown was ripped and fraying in a number of places. The straps of the dress had stretched and no longer fit well, the black material hung around her body like an over sized shirt. Lydia pulled up a strap that had fallen down as she turned from her mirrored self. She grabbed her old worn slip on shoes and the longest coat she had, a black velvet dress coat, off the coat rack in the corner of her room. Throwing the coat and shoes on Lydia walked down the hall at a fast pace. Her worn out and battered legs ached with strain as she took her steps. She had to lean on the railing as she slowly stumbled down the stairs towards the front door. Opening the door a crack so she could see, Lydia saw the blue care at the end of her driveway waiting for her.

Lydia carefully made her way down to the taxi, making sure to look around into the darkness for any unwanted dangers. Being able to seeing the driver made her calm down a bit more. She got into the back seat and told him where she wanted to go. The driver eyed her oddly but didn't ask any question, he just started the car and started to drive down the road. Lydia sighed deeply resting her forehead against the cold glass of the window. She watched the ground pass by, the house giving away to trees, then to the highway and into town. It took a good thirty minutes to an hour to get where she was going. The car pulled up in front of the door to the hospital to let her out, she paid driver and quietly step inside. Inside the waiting room was brightly lit and warm. The white walls seemed to glow from the fluorescent lights, the old ugly burgundy furniture neatly lined up in long rows. She padded over to the reception desk and coughed lightly to get the woman's attention. The receptionist's smile was honey sweet. She had to be at least fifty. Her hair was chestnut brown with grey streaks running through it here and there. Her eyes shone with care and sympathy. Lydia licked her dry lips, something she did quite often when she as nervous. The older woman smoothed some rankles out of her uniform and Lydia could see the neatly placed nametag pinned over her breast, Glenda O'Reilly.

"Can I help you dear?" The receptionist asked, her voice oozing like liquid sugar.

"Uhm… yes I'm Lydia Deetz, I got a call about my parents." Lydia started not sure of what to say. The older woman slid her chair over to her computer and looked through a document search.

"Ah, yes here we go." Lydia swallowed. "All right, if you'd like to wait for a bit I'll call for someone to see you dear." Glenda said quietly. Lydia nodded sadly and walked over to a chair in the corner of the room. She folded her hands on her lap and stared at the floor.

Fifteen minutes, thirty, Lydia stared at one thing, got up, sat down. She watched people come in and leave. She wanted to see her parents. Her dad, Delia, she wanted them to be ok. Lydia yawned and stared back at the empty seat in front of her.

"Excuse me are you Lydia?" Lydia raised her eyes at the voice, looking through her bangs. Before her stood a man in his early thirties in a light blue nurses uniform. Lydia nodded. He smiled.

"I'm Richard Morris, I'm here to take you to see your parents." He told her in a sad, sorry tone. Lydia got up and fallowed him out of the waiting room and down the long empty hallway. Richard led her down the hall in silence through the emergency ward, passed rooms with closed doors and glass window. He stopped slowly and Lydia did too. He gestured to his right towards a glass window showing off a small room. Lydia stepped closer; inside the room her parents lay in separate beds facing her. Her hand shot to her mouth to stifle a gasp. They where pale as death, they had stitches and bruises on their faces, morphine packets by the bed, and heart monitors beeping slowly as the red line squiggled across the screen.

Lydia closer her eyes tears rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks. The nurse behind her placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be ok, they're going to make a quick recovery." He told her reassuringly but Lydia didn't believe him. Lydia sniffed shaking her head. Taking one last look through the glass she turned, leaving the nurse to stare sadly her from behind.

Lydia walked as fast as she could to wards the exit only slowing down when she almost ran into the automatic doors. She let them open and she walked out into the cold early morning air. The sky was lightening up just barley, the usual 4 a.m. fog rolling out onto the parking lot around her. Lydia hugged herself as she cried. How could things get worse? She asked herself hopelessly. Her parents where in the hospital, Barbara and Adam where gone to who knows where, and a crazed poltergeist was stalking her. She looked down at her feet and rubbed her arms. Her bun had long since fell out and her shoulder length hair fell over her face hiding it from the world. Using the back of her hand Lydia rubbed her eyes sniffling again. The wind was picking up and it was getting colder. Lydia started walking towards the end of the parking lot and a pay phone. She put her hands in her pockets and watched her feet walk on the pavement. The shuffling of her feet filled the air around her. The wind blew against her neck ever so lightly it made her jump. She immediately felt that some one was behind her. Lydia spun around but saw no one.

'_OK, now you're just being paranoid.'_ Her mind told her but deep in her subconscious she knew she wasn't safe. Lydia picked up her pace and jogged towards the pay phone. She got half way when something caught her ankle and she toppled to her knees. A sharp surge of pain ran up her legs making her bite her lower lip. The empty parking lot lay out before her, no one was around but her. Lydia watched the darkness around her only to come back to reality when something soft grazed her out stretched leg. Here eyes locked into the dark patch of trees at the far end of the parking lot all the wile the light stroking moved up her thigh. It was like gentle fingers running along her skin. She could feel the hair on her neck raise. The light caresses travels up her back continuing to make tender circles around her spine that made her shiver. Lydia clenched her hands together. She felt a strange pressure against her back, the tracing lines moving down her arms.

…Lydia… 

Her eyes, which had been closed, snapped open. That voice, that horrible voice, the wind whispered her name and she head was him, Beetlejuice. Lydia began to breath faster. The tracing on her skin kept going, teasing her every sense. She jerked her body one way but was pulled back. Lydia began to struggle; the stroking fingers ran up the inside of her thighs, down her back, over her neck. Pressure, her body was being pushed back into the ground.

"NO!" Finally. Lydia screamed, her yell ringing, echoing into the distance. Then nothing. Lydia sat up. Nothing. She remained quiet, hardly breathing. Lydia let out a long sigh.

Beetlejuice smiled, his invisible being starting to materialize behind the young girl mere inches from him. Positioning himself slightly closer to her he ran one of his long fingers up her back and whispered in her ear making her stiffen.

"Miss me doll face?"

---

A/N: Well this was fun. Would have been up sooner but unfortunately school, and writers block get in the way every time. Goss darn it! Hahaha yea I know I'm a bit hyper, I drank two cups of coffee and about a litre of kool-aid while writing this so forgive me. So here ya go, we're all caught up on where the heck everyone is. And by the way I've never hand to be in the hospital so I don't know what it's like, sorry if I got anything wrong. And I have to say sorry for spelling and grammar cause I suck at that any way.

Oh yea, no I'm not being dumb and yes I know her eye colour is brown. Shh that's part of the next chapter, you'll get why I did that. Smirk ok so I'd love more reviews on this so before closing the window click that small button in the bottom left hand corner and tell me what ya think.

Comment Review time:

**Jade-FM:** yes I know you have no idea what's going on so I sentence you to watch every episode and the movie.

**1woof1:** wootskers! Thanks for the review, hope you found this equally as hot or maybe the temperature went up? You tell me.

**Suzuka13:** thanks for the review and here is you're update.

**Siamese2005:** YAY for action, this chapter might have been for creepy, depressing or sad then actiony but it'll go up soon, promise.

**Crayon-Chan:** yes you are my sweetie. Here's you're update.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Your Eyes

Pin like pains in her back and the smell of brimstone woke her from her sleep. Sitting up ever so slowly Lydia opened her eyes not sure of where she was. All she remembered was leaving the hospital and then…nothing. The room was dark; the only light was a thin line on the floor that came in from under a single closed door. From what she could see, she was in a bedroom. A high placed window, maybe five feet higher then she was tall, showed off the dark night sky, a large lopsided decomposing wardrobe took up the far corner and the decrepit rusting metal bed she laid in lined up against the wall across from it. Apart from the torn, tarnished and rotting furniture Lydia couldn't make anything out. She didn't know what had happened, how she got here or even where _here_ was. For all she knew she could still be asleep, or in a witch's house waiting to be eaten like in one of her beloved fairy tales. Lydia shook her head. Witch? Now she was just being ridiculous. She knew there where no suck things as witches and vampires and…ghost? The realisation struck her hard and she fell back against the pillow with a soft _plop_.

He kidnapped her hadn't he? Taken her away from her home. That man. No, he was hardly a man. She had to get out, go somewhere. But where can you go when a man who can find you at the ends of the earth is fallowing you? He'd find her. He wouldn't kill her, she knew that much, if he were, he would have already done it. But what could he gain by kidnapping her? Was it even kidnapping? Hundreds of questions ran through Lydia's head and she had answers to none of them.

Pulling back the heavy sheets Lydia slid her legs over the side of the bed tugging her nightdress, the only article of clothing with her, down and smoothed out the folds. She sat for a moment listening for any noise but heard none besides the rhythmic beating of her heart in her head. Biting down on her lip Lydia willed herself to stand up, her legs wobbled and threatened to give making her grab the bedpost for support. _'Breathe, just breathe.'_ She told herself silently. Lydia's feet shuffled over the cold cracked wood flooring. Letting go of the bed Lydia jumped to the wall to hold her up. Pushing off the wall she walked slowly to the door in the far off corner. The effort was more then Lydia thought it would be. Her breathing came in strained gasps as she struggled to regain control over her motor skills.

Coming up to the closed door Lydia gulped. One hand placed firmly on the wall, the other reached out for the doorknob. Her trembling fingers grasped the smooth metal and turned. It wasn't locked. Lydia looked down as her trembling hand. Carefully pulling back on the knob the door made a low screech. Lydia stopped. No movement could be heard on the other side. She exhaled the breath she had been holding and pulled the door open just enough for her to slide between it and the doorframe. Lydia looked around; the poor lighting caused menacing shadows to loom around her, the empty hallway led to other closed doors of various shapes and sizes, and the air smelt of a mix between varnish and old boot leather. Light spilt into the hall through a high/skinny doorway far off down the hall.

Curiosity can be a silly thing. The impulsion took rule. Lydia silently made her way down the hall, her right foot becoming imbedded with a painful splinter from the floor. She knew she shouldn't go near the door but the wondering was too much. The curiosity took over her shutting off her logical thinking.

'_I guess this is the part where the boogeyman jumps out at me, right?'_ She laughed inside her head trying pitifully to lighten the moment.

Lydia stopped at the line of light at her feet. She looked up at the doorway. Her foot moved forward a bit._ Thud!_ Lydia jumped, hugging the wall. She listened intently to the sudden ruckus inside the room.

_Thump! Crash!_

Holding her breath Lydia leaned forward looking around the side of the frame into the room. She came face to…back with her worst enemy. The room, a kitchen, was brightly tiled in black and grey/brown that looked to be once white. Two chairs lay on their sides and some pots where scattered around the floor near a small round table. At the back of the room, Beetlejuice skulked on all fours like a cat towards a cornered cockroach the size of a large orange. Growling low he jolted at the bug and snatched it up in his hand. Lydia watched as the ghost stood up and walked proudly back to the table, sitting down in the only upright chair and throwing his muddy black boots up onto the tabletop. Beetlejuice picked up the paper by his feet and flipped it open before him as he proceeded to bite the head off the cockroach. The crunch of the shell made Lydia's stomach turn but she couldn't take her eyes off the headless bug that still wriggled in the ghoul's hand.

The shift of emerald green, Beetlejuice's gaze moved from the paper to the door, falling on the half hidden, barely clad girl. Their eyes met briefly before Lydia started to back away. Beetlejuice smiled, showing off his filthy green teeth. The newspaper fell onto the floor as Beetlejuice vanished from the table and came up before the girl pushing her back against the wall. The air was knocked out of her lungs as Lydia's back met wall. Beetlejuice's hands were planted firmly on her shoulders, his nails biting into her skin. Lydia looked up into the glowing eyes of Beetlejuice. He lowered his head to come eye level with her. He smiled cruelly and laughed low in his throat, drool and hanging like a spider web along the front of his teeth.

Lydia turned her head away, her face constricting in repulsion. When she felt his breathe on her neck she panicked. She shook herself violently escaping from his hold and started running. Doors flew by her as she ran. The hall looked as if it were growing longer with every lunge. Despite her better judgment Lydia threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Beetlejuice gained on her, bounding off the walls like a possessed animal hunting it's prey. Lydia turned sharply at the only open door at the end of the hall, the door she had come out of not long ago. Her arm caught on the door and she flipped around falling on her side.

An insane laugh filled the empty room around her. Looking up threw her hair, Beetlejuice stood in the open door way, arms crossed and an amused grin plastered on his thin lips.

"You can't hide from me babes. I'm the ghost with the most, remember?" He said coming closer.

"What do you want?" Lydia cried using the only ounce of courage in her to yell at him. Beetlejuice came to stand over her. Lydia looked up at him. His dusty blond hair fell over his face causing shadows, his tall frame appearing even taller at her angle.

Beetlejuice got down onto his knees next to Lydia placing his hands on either side of her stomach. Lydia tried to pull back as his face inched towards hers.

"What I want?" He breathed against her cheek. "There's a lot I want." Lydia felt his chest press down on hers, pushing her to the floor. Lydia stared into his narrowed eyes, the violent green gaze which lingered on her lips. His mouth quickly dropped to hers catching it in a forceful kiss. Lydia squirmed as Beetlejuice's hands wandered up her ribs, his lips still hungrily attacking hers. Fisting the fabric of his suit coat Lydia tries to push Beetlejuice off of her but was grabbed by her arms and shoved into the floor, hard.

Lydia's head fell painfully back hitting the floor with a _thud_. She became dizzy and her vision began to blur. Arms pinned down, her head rocked to the side as Beetlejuice grinned down at the helpless girl under him. Lydia's eye grew wide and she screamed out as Beetlejuice's sharp teeth dug into the bare skin at the bas of her neck. He straddled her hips as his hands worked there way up to he shoulders. His fingers looped around the thin straps of the nightdress; slowly he pulled them along her arms reviling her smooth shoulders and neckline. The feeling of his lips on her skin made Lydia shiver. The quickening rhythm of Lydia's heart drove Beetlejuice mad. His searing kisses becoming hot branders on her collarbone. His hands paused their roaming as the heart under him quickened more and the chest breathed unevenly.

Slowly, his eyes rose to look at her face in interest. Beetlejuice's smiles fell faintly at the sight. Lydia had stopped struggling and laid perfectly still, her face upturned to the ceiling, tears sprang from her eyes. Brown eyes, this was the first time he had really looked into them. They sparkled with her tears, yet appeared mystifying in the low lighting. He loosened his grip on her pulling back.

Lydia didn't dare move. The tears she was trying to hide rolled down her cheeks mixing with her hair causing it to stick to her face. Beetlejuice had thought he'd like this power. Intimidation, control, but he didn't. Not over her anyway. It seemed wrong somehow. The horror and pain he was causing towards her wasn't satisfying.

Confused and annoyed Beetlejuice pushed himself to his feet. Looking back down at the girl sprawled out before him. Just looking at her made him hate himself, and her even more for making him feel the way he did, what this unknown emotion was. Growling he stomped out of the room slammed the door behind him and locked her in.

Lydia heard the click as the door locked, only then did she slowly lift her head. Grabbing at her clothing she clasped it to her, covering up as much skin as she could. Her brain reeled. What made him stop? What just happened? Eyes locked on the door Lydia thought about it. Did her feel guilty for what he was doing? Sympathy? She didn't know, but she wished she did. She wished she wasn't scared of him. She wished she were home with her parents, and Barbara, and Adam. Unfortunately in Lydia's past experience, wishes, no matter how small, never come true. Her crying continued. Crawling along the floor Lydia back herself up into the farthest corner of the dark room. Slowly the crying subsided as she became tired and fell asleep against the wall.

---

Angry, he kicked the overturned kitchen chair, smiling satisfied as it hitting the wall loudly. Smoke rolled passed his lips as he removed the lit cigarette.

"Fucking girl." Beetlejuice snarled running a hand threw his messy hair anxiously. Looking around he sighed. Turned slightly back Beetlejuice could see outside threw the window on his right. The previously dark sky was now a grey blue and the two orange suns where rising higher. Morning had come and he was no closer to his forever freedom then before. "Woman…" He grumbled to himself, "worthless-fuckin'-bitch." Grinding his teeth Beetlejuice went to take a long drag of his cigarette.

"Now you've done it!" Beetlejuice turned around at the sound of the irate voice and grinned at the dead woman standing in the middle of his kitchen doorway.

'Speaking of worthless bitches.' His mind teased. "Hey Juny baby, you've come all this way just to see me? Why, I'm flattered."

"Stuff it Beetlejuice." Juno spat at him. He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "What.did.you.think.you.were.doing? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? Not to mention all the work you've caused me?"

Beetlejuice opened his mouth to talk but she continued to pester him with boring chatter he didn't give a shit about.

"Kidnapping? Really Beetlejuice, even I thought you were better then that."

Beetlejuice raised his hands in argument. "Hey, in my defence I had good reasons-"

"Good reasons my foot." She said bitterly cutting him off. "Not only have you violated over a dozen rules, you've brought a human girl here of all places, but also you managed to piss off the whole council and all Neitherworld authority. I thought the last stunt you pulled was low but this? This is just childish."

"BUT! But, nonetheless, she is here. Under my lock and key. Still bound by contract-And, currently unharmed. Now unless you want that to change I _suggest_ you make your point."

Juno glared at him for a moment. The bags under her eyes where more noticeable in the shady lighting of the kitchen making her look older and more stern, or just uglier then normal, as Beetlejuice thought.

"My point is this, while she's here you can't leave the Neitherworld," Beetlejuice snapped to attention at this newfound info. "And the only way she can leave is if she says your name three times by her own free will, and not out of possession, threat or fear."

Beetlejuice's arms hung loosely at his sides, the low burning cigarette had long made contact with his hand and the skin around it was a brown purple colour from the burning flesh he still hadn't noticed. His expression of confounded shock was almost priceless, his eyes where wide, eyebrows raised high, and his jaw would be on the floor if it were opened any further. Juno smiled and turned to leave but stopped after a couple steps and pivoted a little to look back over her shoulder and the stunned ghost.

"One more thing. If she dies or gets hurt in any way, you're powers will be revoked for the next five thousand years along with high 24 hour supervision if not worse…oh and your hand's burning." She said disappearing into a cloud of grey-black smoke.

Revoked? Supervision? …Burning? He looked down at his hand, which suddenly started to spas in pain. "OWW!" he yelped dropping the cigarette to the floor and shaking his hand around trying to cool it off. With a groan Beetlejuice continued to shake his hand as the information began to sink in.

"Damn." He muttered feeling more defeated then ever. 'Can't die while she's here? Great!' He rolled his eyes putting his burnt fingers in his mouth. "Just great."

---

Oh man if you can picture that last part where his fingers are in his mouth. That would be beyond cute to see. Any way so I guess you guys could probably tell that I was… well… a couple fries short of a Happy Meal, while writing this. No? Yes? Oh well… so what? Did you, love it? Hate it? Find it boring? What? The only way I'll know is if you review and tell me. : Smile:

And for those of you who bug me on regular basis to update, (you know who you are) maybe now you could let up a bit? Yes? Ok so I hope you all liked it and I hope to hear from you all soon expressly my recurring reviewers.

Ok and now for the thanks for the review corner moments. I love these!!!

**jillybear**: yes I know and thanks for the review hope to hear from you again. Btw Jill, YOU TOUCH MY COOKIES AND I'LL MURDER YOU…see you at school tomorrow.

**1woof1**: haha I'm Honey-senpi. No? Ok, well I do apologize for cutting the last chapter short but there was a point. Can't remember what it was but it was just to tie into this one. Hope you liked it. Write back soon.

**Siamese2005**: WooHoo me neither…oh yea I'm the writer I have to get around to writing it first. Hides face in hands ok so was this more good work? Wish it were. Review back.

**Jade-FM**: thanks and no it wasn't too enthusiastic…by much. A bit over board but not enough to call it that. Any ways thanks and review again please. Oh and for the forcing you to watch all the episodes, just watch more TV around Halloween or buy the box set online and then watch it, then give it to me as a present.

**BeckyButter**: OK Becky here ya go. Thanks for reminding me to write…every day…sometimes up to five times in an hour. But thanks here ya go and hope ya liked it.

[Please leave a review. It's appreciated no matter how small. Really it is. I even accepted anonymous ones


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Spark Of Fire

He didn't move. Didn't blink. As if he were challenging the closed door to a staring contest. He exhaled in defeat and slumped further down the wall behind him. Beetlejuice hadn't heard movement inside the room opposed him for hours. The suns had risen long ago and it was long since noon. The whole situation struck him as odd. Why did he care if she was ok or not? He never had cared about anyone before, side from himself. Finally blinking he stood upright. '_No_,' Beetlejuice decided straightening the front of his usual stripped suit. '_No, I don't care. The world won't end if I just walk away from this door. Nope…though if she dies in there, it'll be my head…' _

"Fuck." He grunted through strained teeth, crossing his arms. As much as he hated her, he didn't want to lose his powers and he sure as hell didn't want to be put under security watch. So he guessed there wouldn't be any harm in seeing if she was still breathing.

Shoving his hands in his coat pockets and hunching his shoulders, Beetlejuice pushed his back off the wall to take the single step across the narrow hallway up to the door. He stared down at the doorknob. _'Come on old boy it wont open by itself.__' _His mind taunted him. Rolling his eyes he removed a hand from his coat and threw open the door. The door hit the wall as it was opened. The suns outside the small single window dimly lighted up the room enough to see. Beetlejuice looked around. As his eyes fell on her it felt like someone had hit him from behind. His mouth opened a slit and his eyes went wide.

Huddled in the darkest corner, knees to her chest, was the girl, Lydia. She was fast asleep, her head flopped to the side resting on the wall as if were a pillow, the black mess of hair flipped around her shoulders while bits and strands stuck to her face where the last of her tears where drying slowly, her tinny pale hands folded on her lap fisting the black material of her dress.

He turned to leave her be but he couldn't. The tender breathes, the steady heartbeat. It all entranced him somehow. Beetlejuice walked carefully over, kneeling down next to her. Looking over his shoulder confused as of what to do, he gently brushed a strand of soft hair away from her cheek with the tip of his middle finger. Her eyelids twitched but did not open. Cocking his head he watched her sleep. He didn't know why or how but all the frustration he had built up was now gone, all the anger and tension...gone. Her shoulders slowly rose and fell with each intake of breath.

His arms started to tremble as he reached out to her. Being as cautious as he could Beetlejuice cradled Lydia in his arms, picking her up as he stood. Her skin was warm under his hands, he caught the flowery sent of her hair as her head swayed and came to rest on his collarbone. She was so light, so small, and so…alive. How old was she anyway? Fifteen? Sixteen? Still a high school student for sure. He walked over to the large bed and set her down lightly so she wouldn't wake. Lydia stretched and rolled onto her side, back to him. She hugged the pillow underneath her head, Beetlejuice sighed as he watched her do so.

Shaking his head, he again turned to leave, this time stopping only once to look back at her. An eyebrow began to rise as an idea started to form in his head. He might not be able to force her to say his name but he could sure as hell trick her into it. A smirk came to his lips as he closed the door behind him, the shreds of his plan whirling in his mind. He'd be out of here in no time, a day maybe two. She was just some girl and tricking people had always been his speciality. Wouldn't be hard to do, couldn't be.

---

The early afternoon sunlight ran across her face causing her to stir. Rubbing her eyes Lydia craned her neck to look around her. She was still in the same room but somehow no longer in her corner. She lay in the same bed as her first awakening in this house. What time was it? It had been dark when she'd fallen asleep. Sitting up Lydia peered up at the window trying to see out. A murky grey-blue sky was all she could see, no trees or clouds. Lydia slid herself to the edge of the bed, her feet lowered to the floor. She stared blankly downwards. Her nails clawed at the bed sheets as she tried to keep herself from falling back. The memories of last night flashed through her mind. Memories of Beetlejuice and what he tried to do to her. She had to get out and fast.

Lydia stood up. The flooring felt cold under her bare feet. She quickly looked around before her eyes fell on something familiar, it was black and soft looking; it was her black coat. She grabbed it and looked around. Didn't she have shoes? Where were her shoes? She didn't see them right away. Lydia got down onto her knees and looked under the bed and sure enough there they were. Stretching out her arm Lydia grumbled under her breath. They were too far for her to get to. Lying down on the floor she reached out again, extending her arm as far as it could go. The space between the bed and the floor wasn't that big and she couldn't squeeze her body under any further.

The tip of her finger bushed over the surface of one of the scuffed black slip-ons. "Damn it." She cursed trying to force her shoulder under the bed. Expanded her fingers, one hooked around the rim of one shoe. Shoe in hand she used it to knock the other one closer and soon was able to pulled both out easily. Sliding the shoes on and once again picking up her coat she looked back down at her feet. The shoes would make a noise on the wood as she walked. So taking them off and holding the close in her arms Lydia headed for the door and her freedom.

In the hall she stood silently looking around. She needed to find the way out. Picking the first door on her left she placed her ear to the wood listening in. When she heard nothing she turned the knob and peeked in. The closed door had led to another hallway of more closed doors. Frowning she went the door on the right, more halls with more doors. Narrow hallways, large once, even slanted ones.

As she padded from door to door Lydia felt as if she were Alice trapped in Wonderland. More and more doors leading to nowhere, empty rooms upon empty rooms, locked doors, and boarded ones never to be opened, rust locks and keyholes of different sizes. Lydia sighed in frustration leaning back against a random wall. Her head lolled to one side and she closed her eyes. This wasn't good, she knew this and she wasn't afraid to state the obvious. She had to save herself. This was no fairytale. No prince charming on a white steed, or other brave rescuer. She was on her own. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked down the hall where she stood. _'One more door.'_ She thought to herself, well the last door in the hall anyway. _'Still closed,'_ it was probably locked anyhow. Lydia stared at it not sure to open it or not. All the others had been literally dead ends, why wouldn't this one be the same? Still couldn't hurt to try.

Her disappointment was at it's highest at the moment. She wanted a way out of these hallways. Her hand softly landed on the doorknob. She wanted to find the way out. Opening the door a crack Lydia looked in.

Her heart swelled with a sort of joy as the room turned out to be an actual room. Large and with a cracked ceiling and broken floorboards, the room opened up in a oddly shaped rectangle with splattered walls of greys and purple where strange clocks hung that didn't appear to work, there were furniture of black and white and large double doors at one end next to a glassless window.

Lydia quickly closed the door after she had stepped inside. Hugging her shoes she ran on tiptoe towards the double doors. She paused looking back before holding onto the cool metal of the latch handle. With a deep breath she pushed down on it and opened the door hesitatively. She only had the door open a small bit when the over powering smell of ash, and smoke filled her nose. Low thick grey fog entered and wrapped around her legs. The cold air from the outside felt like sharp pins on her skin. She walked outside into the cold her feet starting to hurt as they were set on the rocky ground. Dropping her shoes and working her feet into them, Lydia took a second to look around, stunned by her bizarre surroundings. The road she stood in the middle off was rocky and badly paved, the sides of it falling off into nothingness, above hovering lamp posts hung old-fashioned metal lanterns that swung precariously in the wind, floating islands of rock and purple grass drifted through the grey sky, as wispy black clouds proceeded to block out the double suns. A thud made Lydia jump. The door she had opened had closed by itself or from the wind. Looking up at the building before her, puzzlement and a hit of wonder flooded her mind.

The house or the _"RoadHouse"_ as the large sign on the roof said, was much smaller looking on the outside then it was on the inside.

"Weird." Lydia stated starting to walk at a fast pace along the waved road. Every sound and suggestion of movement made Lydia increase her speed. Her feet hurting as they bounded along the rocky pavement, heart loud in her head. Her breaths came as gasps as she started to run, eyes clenched shut, her open coat billowing behind her. How long was this road? Where did it go? Either question she didn't care much for the answer. All Lydia wanted was to be as far away from that ghost as possible, even if it were just for a little while.

Heart pounding, head throbbing, eyes shut tight. Too many factors got in the way of Lydia being able to see what was coming. She ran and kept on running, until her foot went to land and hit no ground but fell through and Lydia toppled forward, balance lost, and tumbled down to, wherever the ground was way below.

Her breath caught in her throat for a second. Her mind finally snapped and she screamed, loud and long. The air blowing past her pushed her hair back, she couldn't see where she was going to land, only the pink and purple mist beneath her.

Falling. Her screaming was enveloped by the rushing wind. Lydia was becoming light-headed, forced breathes of air entering her lungs improperly. She was going to die. That's all she could think of, the end of her. She raised her arms up in front of her face and closed her eyes once more as the mist consumed her.

---

Beetlejuice sighed heavily and ran a shaky hand through his ratty hair. Silence was a grand thing. He layback, head resting on his blood red pillow, right foot hooked up and over the top of the coffins' lid. Gradually falling into a light sleep his one arm slid from his side and fell over off his bed, knuckles brushing against the cold floor. He signed gruffly.

Silence.

A high-pitched scream filled the room and Beetlejuice fell to the floor in surprise. '_That was no regular scream,'_ He thought. Not a dead scream. A dead scream was shallow, nasally and wavering. This was different. It was heart stopping, bone chilling, and terror filled. It was the scream of a mortal, a living scream.

When this dawned on him he raced for the door. Not stopping to open it, he phased through the wood and ran down the hall.

Only one thing came to mind. The girl. Lydia. A scream like that could only have come from someone in trouble. The lingering effects of her echo remained in the air. The feel of fright filled him and made him run faster. Phasing and sliding on his heels Beetlejuice went through her closed door. The bed where he had placed her was empty. Looking around he found the whole room empty. She was gone.

"Oh fuck!" He breathed. Where could she be? What would scare her enough to get a scream like that? Even he wasn't that scary. Nothing around his house, did she leave his house? She'd get lost out there. Or…worse…

"Shit." His jaw dropped, mind yelling at him to stay away and yet, go after her at the same time. There was only one place she could be, and only one place he dared not go.

---

Dirt. No sand. Shaking her head Lydia found herself face down in orangey yellow sand. She coughed, the breeze continually blowing sand in her mouth. Flying sand blurred her vision. The burning suns above her shone down making her shield her eyes. Where was she? A desert it appeared, or what looked like one. It wasn't hot like a normal desert. Off to her right lay nothing but orange and green sand and oddly shaped red rocks, while on the other side of her were tall green grass pocketed around skinny palm like trees.

A low rumble could be heard in the direction of the open desert. Lydia started backwards looking for its source but only saw the vast wasteland. Scared and alone she walked towards the grass in difficulty. Her feet sank into the sand, which constricted her movements. Lydia bit her lower lips. The sand in her shoes where becoming wedged between her toes uncomfortably.

'_Where am I? Where am I going? How'd I get here?'_

It didn't take her long to making it to a grassy patch. The grass grew up past Lydia's standing five foot six height, the trees where even much taller then that. She felt like a mouse, short and vulnerable, like someone was going to come alone and step on her. Lydia pushed past the blades of grass, which she found surprisingly heavy, beyond the grass was a hole, but not any type of hole. It was a nest. In it lay four purple and green striped eggs. She stepped up to the edge looking down. '_What in the world could lay something this big?'_

Another low rumble from behind,

Lydia jumped. Turning too fast she tripped over her heels. Her arms reached out forwards grabbing at the air but her body fell and she slid down the sandy slope. Stopping only when her spine hit the side of one of the eggs and knocking it over in the sand with a noisy _plop_.

Using the fallen egg, Lydia pushed herself up to her feet. Once again she heard low rumbling behind her. This time it grew louder, closer. She froze, bits of different memories coming to mind at once. She knew where she was. Once, a while back, Barbara had told her of a place like this. The desert, the rocks and…

Lydia swallowed heavily, turning slowly.

"Oh god…" Was all she could say but her mind screamed out,_ "HELP ME! OH PLEASE. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"_

Towering above her was something she automatically recognized. It was almost identical to the one she saw three years ago. It was a sandworm. The exposed sharp teeth dipped with drool, the dark and deep-set eyes were focused on her. She didn't know what to do. A blow to her shoulder forced her to the ground. She got to her knees and looked up in disbelief. Standing between her and the sandworm was, the last person she ever thought to see in a place like this.

'Beetlejuice' Lydia mouthed staring up at him. Beetlejuice watched the worm, daring it to make the first move. Finally the sandworm reeled back. Beetlejuice narrowed his eyes and exhaled his breath slowly. Lydia hid her face in her hands and she tried to back away.

The worm bolted down at them. Before it could do anything Beetlejuice swung out his arm, silver light came from his out stretch hand and hit the giant worm in the side. It screeched loudly, as if dove away, before it did one of its' teeth managed to thrash through Beetlejuice's forearm. The sharp tooth tore through the flesh and he gritted his teeth together to stop himself from howling in pain as it grazed the bone. The sandworm descended into the sand at the feet of a pained Beetlejuice who was grabbing at his arm with twitchy hands. Blood socked through is sleeve, he had enough power to stop the bleeding but he would have to wait to heal the skin.

Doing his best to hide his own pain her turned to face Lydia. She was still huddled on the sand beside him, hiding her face in her arms. He felt a pain deep inside of him, one that hurt more then his fresh wound. Beetlejuice grabbed Lydia by her elbows and pulled her off her feet.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Are you really this stupid?" He yelled in her face. She looked up at him with her glossy brown eyes. His hands loosened on her arms, her feet regaining their contacted with the ground. A moment of silence paced between them. Beetlejuice looked around, avoiding the look of fear on Lydia's face. Finally he wrapped an arm around her and said, "I hate this place." And they vanished in a puff of grey and red smoke.

---

"Stupid girl."

Lydia was dropped to the floor of the roadhouse's main room. She was angry and scared but she wasn't going to let him see that any more. Pushing herself to her feet she did the one thing she could think of. She yelled at him.

"What do you want? Please, just let me go!" The shrill livid voice behind Beetlejuice took him by surprise. He had never heard her yell before. It made him feel atypical. He didn't like that.

"YOU'RE. NOT.going.anywhere!" He shouted turning on her. Their faces where barely inches apart. His eyes burning with furry, but Lydia refused to be intimidated by him any longer.

"You don't need me anymore. Can't you just leave me alone?" She asked trying to hid the shakiness of her voice.

"Sorry but I can't do that."

"Why not? Take.Me.HOME!!!!"

Beetlejuice shrugged, "Can't."

"WHAT?" Lydia yelled.

Beetlejuice huffed, "Yeah, again, I'm sorry and all but until you say my name again three times, you and I are both stuck here."

"Didn't you know that before hand?"

"Yes I did…. No. What do you think? Do you really think I want to be stuck here **with you**?"

Lydia put her hands on her hips. "Well if you didn't kidnap me in the first place we wouldn't be stuck together."

"If our deal wasn't interrupted three years ago then I wouldn't have come after you."

"If you just left after you got out, instead of coming after me then, then none of this would have happened. You'd be out and I'd be home."

Beetlejuice opened his mouth to say something back but couldn't. He stood back from her and grunted. "Ok ya have a point."

"Why are we stuck here?" Lydia asked softly. Beetlejuice put his hands in his pockets and shock his head.

"I danno know."

Lydia sighed. "You do know I wont say you're name willingly."

'_We'll see about that!'_ He thought to himself but instead said, "Then you can't leave."

Lydia hung her head biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark. Beetlejuice looked at her for a second before turning away and started to leave her standing alone. He had almost gotten to the door when he heard a tinny concerned voice. _"You're hurt."_ It was so small he almost couldn't tell what it said. He turned to see Lydia's sad eyes looking at his damaged arm. He scrunched his eyebrows but then smiled, _'ah poor, sweet innocents.'_

He couldn't help it, "What?" he asked.

Lydia pointed to his injury with a thin pale finger and repeated a little louder, "You're hurt."

Beetlejuice glanced down a his arm, "Oh yeah." When he looked back up Lydia was standing beside him looking at it. Lydia figured he'd laugh at her for wondering if he was ok but he didn't. She looked up at his face. His mouth hung slightly open, had one eyebrow risen, and his dirty blond hair was falling into his eyes. He looked almost human. Lydia looked away quickly and asked, "Does it hurt?" Out of stupidity, she didn't know if ghosts could feel pain, or real emotion, or the difference between cold and hot. She never asked Barbara or Adam, they always seemed so happy all the time, didn't complain, or get mad. Beetlejuice was different though. She didn't understand him like she did them.

"Yeah, kinda." He answered her. Where did that come from? Normally he'd laugh at kindness, but he didn't. He couldn't, wouldn't laugh at her. Beetlejuice stared at her small hand that came up to lie on his arm lightly. His arm flinched under her warm skin. Lydia removed her hand quickly and the moment she did Beetlejuice almost missed her touch. Their eyes locked and he saw the sweetness of a child, but she was no child, not anymore, not like she was back when they first met.

"Are…are you-you going to be ok?" She asked breaking the silence that formed around them.

"Yeah, I'll heal." He said giving her a cocky grin.

Lydia smiled. "Good."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What you have just read was 8 pages on word that took me a long, long, long time to write. Ok so this only took a really long time to do cause I couldn't find time to do it. I had a lot of work to do and I was going through a stress full couple of weeks due to school and other stuff. Namely the STUFF is my way of blaming my bad mood. I have had an immense intake of caffeine through form of coffee and energy drinks in the past little while and I haven't been sleeping a whole lot. I'll thank you all in advance for reading and review my story so far and I hope you all like and appreciate what I went through to finish this!

So by now I'm sure you are all wondering what's going to happen between them. Will they be friends, lovers, or what? Well to level with you, I don't really know. I mean I know how I want the story to end and all and I know some parts of my story I just need to figure out the in-between stuff.

And again I am doing my best to write as well as I can. Spelling was never my strong point…along with math but that has nothing to do with this. So I hope you all liked this and I hope to hear from you.

Shout out corner:

**Yuniko1987**: there ya go!!! More, hope to hear from you again.

**Darkbangle**: yea sure, blame please who suck at the English language! But thanks for the review and I hope this chapter was better.

**1woof1**: sorry for not having any sexy scenes in this chapter but I guess good things are worth waiting for, right? And I hope you read this chapter over-and-over like you where the last one smile hope to hear back!

**jillybear**: again with the cookies? Really do you ever think of anything else? Anyway thanks.

**Suzuka13**: your wait is over for today! Here is the fifth chapter hope you like it.

**Siamese2005**: Yes another update! And another, and another, and another…laugh and I hope you found this one equally as awesome as the last or at least close to.

**Jade-FM**: ok now maybe you can stop complaining during class!!!! So review and there ya go.

**Becky**: there ya go Becky. How ya like it? Sorry it took so long, EPT was pissing me off too much to write.

**Crayon-Chan**: thanks and all, you really need to get into the habit of reading this right away and reviewing.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Letters, Morning Breath and Kisses

---

Lydia couldn't sleep any longer. Well, stay in bed. She hadn't been able to fall to sleep. It was like her mind was playing tricks on her. Everytime she started to doze off, Beetlejuice would keep creeping into her thoughts and her eyes would snap open again.

Sitting up, eyes tired, Lydia pushed her hair behind her ears and stared at the wall across the room. The room was still dark accepted for a stream of light that came in through the window and stretched out over her covered legs, but was it daylight or moonlight? It always seemed to be dark here.

She sat quietly, only one name running around her head. Beetlejuice, he'd confused her so much. Even after she had tried to runaway, he had come after her. He had saved her. When she expected him to be mad she was not disappointed, he'd been rather angry but he didn't stay that way, which again, surprised her. Lydia pulled her legs in and hugged her knees, smiling brightly.

_'He had saved her and someone who did something like that couldn't be all bad._' She thought to herself. He was no prince charming but he was…charming in his own…unique way. Lydia let out a small chuckle. For a second she sat, her smile growing wider before she shook her head and it fell.

"_Stupid girl."_

"_YOU'RE. NOT.going.anywhere!"_

"_Do you really think I want to be stuck here with you?"_

Lydia closed her eyes tightly. _'NO stupid don't cry!'_ she yelled mentally. She was being silly. He wasn't good. He was selfish, and rude, and gross. He didn't have a descent humane bone in his body. She pouted, annoyed for thinking differently about him.

Incapable of staying in bed Lydia threw the sheets on top of her to the end of the bed and dropped her feet to the floor. Lydia looked down at her feet for along time, they were dirty. As she thought about it, all of her was dirty, her hair was greasy feeling, her teeth felt fuzzy, and sand lined the underside of her short nails. Falling back, she sighed. Her stomach growled. She didn't find it odd that she was hungry. After all, the last time she ate was over forty-eight hours ago. Sitting up again she decided to find some edible food. Beetlejuice needed her alive so she wasn't afraid of starving at this point.

---

Beetlejuice Leaned onto the hind legs of his kitchen chair. He pulled a pocket watch out of his jacket pocket and opened it up. The hands were gone along with the numbers, and yet he still was able to tell the time.

"I hate mornings." He grumbled closing the watch with a click and sliding it back into his coat. Beetlejuice rubbed his temple, a headache forming slowly.

Rolling his head back he closed his eyes and let out a long moan. He hadn't slept in days and it was starting to affect him more then usual. The lack of sleep was making it harder to use a lot of power and the gash in his arm, half healed, was burning like there was fire running through his veins, and the tender muscles were making it hard to move around. Quiet padding in the hall caught his attention and he opened his eyes, looking up. His eyes widened as Lydia pocked her head around the doorframe.

She came in slowly, worried that she might need his permission. Beetlejuice caught this but didn't move. He just continued to gape at her. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her. One of the straps of her nightdress was threatening to fall off of her shoulder. Dried dirt spotted her arms and legs. Her black hair was packed with sand and looked rather shinny, be it from grease or the overhead light, either way he wasn't complaining. Lydia was becoming a bit uncomfortable as the ghost before her kept staring. She blinked at him in confusion.

Slowly she smiled and Beetlejuice lost his balance. He fell back onto the floor as his chair flipped out from under him. His head hit the tile hard and he grunted in pain, anger, and embarrassment. Beetlejuice closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Are you alright?" A small voice asked from above him. Beetlejuice opened his eyes to see Lydia on her knees next to him on the floor. Nodding, 'yes' was all he did. As he tried to sit straight the pressure in his arm grew and he started to wobble.

Lydia watched him for a moment. She didn't know if she should help him or not. When he started to wobble she reached out and took hold of his upper arm and started to help him up. Before she could really make a difference Beetlejuice jumped to his feet and began smoothing the wrinkles from his coat. Lydia, still hunched on her toes raised an eyebrow at him oddly.

"You going to sit on the floor all day babes?" He asked putting his hands in his pockets. She shook her head giving him a look that said, "What's wrong with you?" Lydia stood up and for the first time realised how tall Beetlejuice was compared to her. As she stood her eyes met his chest, and the top of her head came to his shoulders. Her eyes kept wavering over his unmoving chest. 'He's dead.' She reminded herself. 'He doesn't breath.'

"See something ya want doll face or just browsing?" He said in his usual arrogant tone. Lydia's face turned beet red and she sped for the door. "Hey!" She stopped. "I want just kidding." Lydia looked back at him over her shoulder. He looked serious enough, which normally meant something was up. She eyed him curiously, which made him grin smugly.

"Come on I won't bite."

Lydia nodded and turned around walking back to the middle of the kitchen. Silence engulfed them as Beetlejuice went about his own business for a moment and Lydia continued to stand around watching. She looked down at the floor and the grime that had rubbed off onto her feet. "Hungry?" Beetlejuice said causing Lydia to jump. He was an inch from her right ear, too close for her liking. "You're jumpy ya know that?" He asked backing up and walking over to the table.

"I'm…I'm not normally!" She stated frankly.

"Good! Jumpy isn't somethin' you should be around here." He replied. Lydia walked over and stood across from him.

"And where is here exactly? You never really explained that to me."

Beetlejuice relaxed back in another chair, signed and put his hands behind his head. "I thought that was obvious."

"Oh really? Then let me guess, I'm in hell?" Lydia said sarcastically. Beetlejuice laughed at this. Lydia crossed her arms looking at him like he was insane. No, he was insane. She had to keep telling herself this. "What's so funny?" She asked getting annoyed.

"You…no, no this isn't technically hell but it's close." He paused to wipe dry mould from his bottom lip, making Lydia cringe. "This is the Neitherworld babes, it aint heaven and it aint hell. It's an in-between thing." She nodded sullenly. "Yeah but any way, I guess you're starvin' or you wouldn't be out here?" He asked, receiving another nod.

"Although I don't think you'd have anything I'd eat." She said, lightening the mood on her end. It seemed that Beetlejuice was enjoying himself watching her feel embarrassed.

"Yeah I doubt you'd eat anything I do." He smiled at her. Lydia smiled back. Oddly enough she was starting to like his company, even if it was against her own freewill. "Well pull up a seat." He said gesturing to the chair next to him. Lydia felt entirely comfortable sitting next to him. She shouldn't.

He was much, much older then she was, and not to mention dead. He had kidnapped her, felt her up in a parking lot, tried to rape her, but she didn't feel the way she should. Lydia had never felt like this before and didn't know what it was she was feeling. It was too confusing.

She sighed deeply resting her hands in her lap. How pathetic she must look to him. Wait why was she caring what he thought? Why did she want to know what he was thinking?

"Oh babes." He said, an ooze of lust rolling through his voice.

Lydia looked up quickly to freeze as he breathed against her check. Her face flushed immediately as one of his fingers ran down the back of her bare neck. "Has anyone told you that your morning breath is to die for?" Beetlejuice licked his lips watching her reaction. She breathed in with a fast hiccup sound and stayed stiff as a board. He ran finger along the base of her neck and along her shoulder, smiling in satisfaction and she shivered under his light touches. Lydia swallowed hard; she was scared, not of him, but of herself. Her eyelids slid shut. She was not scared of his touch. She liked it.

A gentle pressure on her lips, Lydia's eyes snapped open and she took in air sharply through her nose. Beetlejuice kissed her harder, letting his hands curl around her ribs, pulling her to the edge of her chair. Slowly Lydia's eyes once again closed, her lips parting as she kissed him back. Beetlejuice felt her respond to him and almost pulled back. He hadn't expected her to kiss him, slap him maybe, but this? She tasted like sugar, her skin burning under his. One of Lydia's hands grazed over Beetlejuice's hallowed check bones, in turn causing him to jerk forward pulling Lydia in closer.

He didn't want this kiss to end, but they regretfully broke apart for air. Lydia's cheeks were bright red, her eyes were glazed and she was breathing heavily. Had that just happened? Had he kiss her? …And she kissed back? She continued to stare up at him hoping for an explanation but got nothing. Beetlejuice stared back down at her, confusion plain on his face.

"Uh…." Lydia coughed looking away. Beetlejuice opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words.

"Uh…uhm…fo…. food! Y-You wanted somethin' to eat right?" He stammered getting up and crossing the room towards the counter. Lydia exhaled deeply averting her eyes from him.

"Starving." She agreed with a small nervous laugh. 'Not just for food any more...'

"You…uh...you ok Lyds?" Lydia's head shot up to see Beetlejuice looking at her funny.

"Oh yeah! Just a little…" Lydia said waving her hand by her head.

"I guess we're both a little…" Be chuckled copying her action. She smiled lightly, a soft blush coming back to her face again.

"Hey, ah…yeah know babes I was wondering since I was planning on going out tonight and…I don't trust you to stay here alone!" 'Smooth ya bustard!' "If ya want you could tag along…as long as you don't try and run off again."

Lydia looked at him. "Where are you…ah…we going?" She asked hugging the backrest of her chair.

'Shit…think, think…' "Well I've been needing to relax so I was going to go over to Half Over and watch the moons tonight."

"Half Over?"

"Oh yeah it's the only place in the Neitherworld where you can see our moons and earth's moon at the same time."

"Sure. That sounds nice." Lydia replied smiling. Beetlejuice smiled back in his cocky manner before turning back to wards his cupboards to look for food. Lydia raised an eyebrow at him when his back was turned. He had outwardly said he hated her and now he was asking her to spend time with him? He had to be up to something. Right? Or was it possibly he wasn't as bad as she had once thought.

---

Juno sat at her desk shredding papers. She'd looked over a document throw it across the room. Read one line and rip the page to confetti.

"Useless! Pointless! Worthless! …A waist of my time." She grumbled as she looked through the large amount of paper work that covered every inch of her desktop. She sighed in aggravation as she dumped another pile of paper onto the floor but her chair and watched it skater. Reaching for a new pile to look through a knock came at the open door.

"WHAT?" The receptionist, Miss Argentina, pouted in offence but quickly stepped over the papers up to the desk. Pausing briefly she handed over a sealed envelope and quickly left. Juno looked down at the envelope in her hand, flipping it over to look at both sides. Ripping off the side she pulled a single piece of folded paper out of it. Opening it she read,

'_Juno, _

_As you know the trails on a one, Beetlejuice is coming to a close. The news of him bring a breather to our world has not gone unnoticed. Matters to rectify this crime have been put into effect. The counsel thanks you for your service but it is no longer needed in this case. This man's penalty has fallen on us to decide and we plan on punishing to the fullest. The girl, Lydia Deetz will also be dealt with at seen fit. We thank you again for your time. You'll be notified on the trail date and sentence time._

_The counsel'_

"Shit!"

---

A/N: yeah well besides this being late……sorry for any grammar and spelling errors…. I know there's a lot. I would have put more care and thought into it but my dear beloved Jade here wont stop reading over my should. And it's kinda ticking me off. Oh well….don't bug me about it…please? So I look forward to your wonderful reviews. Oh and this would have been way, way, WAY earlier but school was keeping me a bit busy. Tests and quizzes are shit. Well bye guys!

p.s: my friends all hate me! And I hate laptops!!!!!!

Review Fun Corner:

BeetleBreath: I know, it's sooooooo cute. Definitely a different concept then the movie…well not as different then the cartoon…but cute.

Ed's Tomato: hope you like what I'm coming up with. And I'm hoping to update soon again….sooner than two weeks from now.

Jillybear: fck you Jill. Love you see ya later.

Woof: Hey sweetie thanks for another great review. And not to give away the plot but you read my mind so well. So hope you write back soon.

Angelbabe: there ya go…well not updated soon but hey….

Siamese: thanks! Sorry about the making haste…..

Jade: …well you're right next to me so….hi….your review was nice…..thanks…..LOVE YOU!?!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Hey!!! I forgot about a couple reviews for my shout outs for the last chapter so here they are:**

**Darkbangle: Thanks! Yes, it is nice to see BJ all brave and nice. Smile and yeah know what?! I didn't even think of that Beauty and the Beast reference until I read your review! And now that I think about it, you're right! I love that movie and I didn't even notice. **

**Woof (again): thanks. Sorry it wasn't that fast! And I'm not your slave!!! GRRR …lol…jk I don't really mind that much.**

Ok so putting the a/n first this time: His everybody sorry I didn't update as fast as I wanted to but I've been busy with projects and Christmas stuff. I don't really even celebrate Christmas. But this is my "Christmas" present to all of you reading it right now. : Smile:

And after about a month of writers block I'm here with chapter seven so Becky can shut the fuck up and stop asking me if I'm done yet. AHA! Trumpets Of Joy

Disclaimer and all that jazz…good song that is…any who: I don't own Beetlejuice…sniff saying that makes me cry every time.

**---**

**Chapter Seven: Date With The Dead**

**Lydia smiled. **

**The day seemed to go on forever. Lydia had become as anxious as a child at Christmas time. Multiple times had she looked at a random clock, always only being one to two minutes later then the last time she'd looked. Sighing in boredom, Lydia slumped back on the old sofa in the Roadhouse's main room, starting to comb the sand out of her hair with her fingers. Her nails scraped through her messy hair, slipping many times. Never had she thought she'd be going out with a dead guy, Beetlejuice of all dead guys too, and yet her hands were shaking and there were butterflies in her stomach. She didn't even know if she should call this a date.**

**Lydia smiled.**

**She sat alone on the couch. Beetlejuice had let her wonder the house as she wished before stalking off down a random hallway. Lydia had strolled down many different hallways, most she had seen before, but this time the rooms that were once empty where filled with furnishing layouts of different kinds. Dinning rooms, too far off from the kitchen to be of any use, bedrooms by the dozen, multiple bathrooms with ****no**** clean running water, even a rotting library with books too old to be opened with out being ripped. **

**It amazed Lydia of how much stuff Beetlejuice had. Why one person had or needed so much stuff was beyond her, most couldn't be used and the rest was basically ****_junk_**** by her standards. Not to mention the bugs that ran around, beetles, crickets, cockroaches, a variety of different kinds of insects. They didn't bother her. Really they didn't. It was the fact that Beetlejuice ate them that made her cringe. **

**This whole place, this life…**

**Lydia smiled.**

**It didn't seem like her, it wasn't how she was used to living. This weird mess, the crazy life of a dead man, it suited Beetlejuice. It had him written all over it, but she had to admit, even if it was just to herself, this life was growing on her. She liked it here. Out loud she would have never confess to it, but in the sanctuary and security of her mind she was free to tell the truth.**

**Lydia smiled.**

**She pondered on this thought. Had he really gotten to her that much? Had she been corrupted enough to think he was good? Lydia sighed deeply pulling her knees to her chest. **

**As much as she didn't want to say it, she liked it here, she liked being with Beetlejuice. **

**Lydia pushed her hair back out of her face. Even without a mirror to see, she could tell her cheeks were bright red. Her skin was hot but she could feel goose bumps rising on her arms. Hiding her face in her knees, Lydia closed her eyes and could make out a perfect replica of Beetlejuice in her mind.**

**His pale skin, intense green eyes, hollow cheekbones and messy blond hair matted with grime and dirt, his ghoulish yet handsome face. **

**Lydia smiled.**

**She let out a small sigh and wondered off into the dream state of a sleeper.**

**---**

**Beetlejuice glared up. His upper lip twitched as he sneered at the figure in front of him. A tall man, handsome by his values, leaned up against the wall. One foot crossed behind the other, his right elbow propping him up, his hand falling just below his chin. A cigarette was held between his index and middle finger. He smiled back at Beetlejuice and chuckled a bit. **

**Beetlejuice's lip twitched again. Arms crossed he leaned back against the opposite wall of the hallway.**

**"Why so mad my friend?" The man asked straightening the front of his white on black-stripped suit with his left hand.**

**Beetlejuice did not answer. He brushed some dust off of his own black on white-stripped suit, ignoring him completely. The man pushed off the wall and took a step forward across the narrow hallway to come face-to-face with,****_ himself_**

**Beetlejuice looked into the face of his other half. He did this a lot. Splitting his mind in two so he had someone to yell at. **

**He had problems and he knew this.**

**His other half raised his cigarette to his lips, took a drag and held his breath. Beetlejuice's lips twitched again. His other half started to chuckle, smoke rolling out of his flared nostrils and the slits between his crocked yellow-green teeth. **

**"What?" Beetlejuice snarled jumping up off the wall and stomping past him. **

**"You love her." **

**Beetlejuice stopped dead in his tracks. His other half stared at his back. Beetlejuice head dropped, his shoulders heaved up and down. "LOVE?" He roared in laughter. **

**"Yes that is what I said." **

**"Love, that skinny, little, black widow are you crazy?" Beetlejuice yelled throwing his hands up in the air.**

**"I'd watch who you call crazy. I am part of you remember?" His other half said calmly. **

**"The stupid part." Beetlejuice murmured running his hand through his hair. **

**"Is that why you invited her out with you?" **

**Beetlejuice hand dropped heavily. His breathing became shallow and his eyes darted around. "Hu." He grunted.**

**"Something possessed you to do it. If not that then it was your own fe-"**

**"Say the 'F' world and I'll rip you're dead heart out!" **

**The threat fell on def ears as his other half continued to smile through the cigarette smoke.**

**"It's all part of my plane. If you weren't so dumb you'd know that." **

**"Who are you trying to kid?" **

**"Who are you trying to kid?" Beetlejuice mocked, the corner of his mouth rising as he laughed at himself. His other half shook his head. **

**"Look-"**

**"I don't need you to tell me what to do."**

**"I am you."**

**"You're just a voice in my head."**

**"Apparently I'm the only smart thing up there. Listening to you right now…HA, hell would be more fun."**

**"Oh really? Then why don't you go there then and give me a break?"**

**"I can't survive one my own and neither can you. You know that."**

**"Yeah, yeah, Whole souls live forever, loss part and you're damned to limbo. Whatever, I hear it before." Beetlejuice shoot at himself. He sighed, turned calmly and raised his hands in defence. "Ya know what? I don't care. Go back in my mind and we'll run with whatever we got going right now." **

**"HA!" His other half laughed throwing his cigarette to the floor. "I trust you as far as I can throw you." Beetlejuice glared at him**

**"Admit it." **

**"No."**

**"C'mon you now I'm right." He said slowly walking forward. "Think about it. She's everything you're not, the complete opposite of you." He circled Beetlejuice like a hungry vulture. "You love her. You just need to realist this before you loose her again."**

**As the memory of the past betrayal ran through his head Beetlejuice spun on his heels snapping his fingers and he watched the body of his other half crumble to dust as he returned to the dark dismal corners of Beetlejuice's mind. **

**"Fucking Bastard!"**

**---**

**"Hey Babes. Wake up, nap times over." Beetlejuice poked Lydia in the shoulder again. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, he smiled. "Hi." **

**"Hi." She answered rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Did I fall asleep?" Beetlejuice nodded. "Oh..." She said back. An awkward silent lingered around them for a minute. Lydia stared at the floor and Beetlejuice stared at her. **

**He jumped to his feet and banally held out his arm to her. Lydia gave him a slight smile. "Shall we?" Beetlejuice asked with a corny smirking. The emergence of Lydia's smile fell. **

**"What?" She asked, her voice small, weighed down by jolts from the past. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow.**

**"We goin' out or not?" He asked not understanding her fully. Lydia nodded sharply before standing up. She looked down at Beetlejuice still out stretched arm; causally she looped her arm around his. "Come on, it's a long walk from here." Beetlejuice said genuinely as he leading Lydia out the front door.**

**---**

**Beetlejuice chortled at her worried shyness. Lydia walked along beside him quietly in the grass. She hadn't said a word since they left his house. It didn't take a genius for Beetlejuice to know that something he had done or said had upset her. He just didn't know what it was. They walked quietly along a path of green rocks towards the edge of the large floating isle. There wasn't much to look at; the grass was short, light purple at the roots getting darker as it went up the blades, there were no trees or other plants just large green rocks scattered on either side of the path that divided the isle in half.**

**"Look Babes-"**

**"I was thinking-" **

**They're words mixed into one messy sentence making Lydia giggled. Beetlejuice couldn't help but fallow suit and let a small chuckle himself. **

**"Uhm…BJ." Lydia spoke out softly.**

**"Yeah Babes?" He asked.**

**"I forgive you ya know." Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow. "For what you did, a few years ago. I understand why you'd do it. Being here, alone, no one to talk to, or spend time with, no family or friends. Must be lonely."**

**"I've got family, the lucky bunch of bastards they are. They didn't end up in the same situation as I did. They get to be free, like the dopes in your attic. Not like this thing with friends, I don't need 'em." **

**"But don't you get lonely?"**

**"I guess sometimes. Even the most unsocial people in the world get lonely. I'm only human…or was when I was alive and a human." **

**Lydia giggle. Beetlejuice smiled, her laugh sounded like tiny bells. He loved it. No, not love, he didn't believe in that shit. Love was for the weak and gullible and he was neither of those things. **

**"You really have no friends?" Lydia asked pulling Beetlejuice from his thoughts. He snuffed at her question. **

**"Girls." Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. **

**"What?" Lydia asked in hassle.**

**"You! Girls and your stupid emotions." Lydia's jaw dropped. He was making fun of her. **

**'_What an idiot.'_**** She thought letting go of his arms and walking away from him. The edge of the floating island prevented her from going any farther but she still didn't have to look at him. Lydia stared out into the black nothingness of the sky. The darkness of the sky and the chilling air consumed her making her feel unreal, like this whole ordeal was a bay dream.**

**A weight pressed down on her shoulder, but it was nothing more than Beetlejuice's hand. "See what I mean?" He said behind her.**

**Lydia did not turn or flinch. She continued to gaze out at the blank sky and tried to show as little emotion as she could muster. **

**"You ok Babes?" Beetlejuice asked stepping out from behind and looking down at her porcelain profile. She nodded, "Yeah. Just a bit homesick I guess." She lied wishing he would just shut up.**

**"Homesick eh?" **

**Again Lydia nodded. "I've never been on my own before."**

**"You're not on your own, I'm here." **

**Lydia swallowed. Her stomach flipped and she felt sick for real. She didn't know what to make of it. In her mind she felt as if she were about to pass out, but Lydia couldn't help but like this feeling. Her heart pounded in her chest hard and her face was hot. **

**"You can always go home ya know." Beetlejuice said stepping back and moving over to a near by rock. Lydia huffed.**

**"That would require saying your name and then you'd be out rampaging around," Lydia walked over to him and put her hands on her hips. "And I'm not about to let that happen."**

**Beetlejuice dropped to the ground and rested back against the rock. He folded his hands behind his head and eyed her for a moment. "Maybe not right now, but you never know." Lydia jumped up onto the rock and crossed her legs. **

**"Oh, I know. You're not getting out of here as long as I have a say in it." Lydia heard Beetlejuice chuckle but made no farther response. They stared out into the dark sky. Lydia sighed. Beetlejuice cocked his head to look up at her. Her sat silently, her bright silhouette against the dark sky made her shine with life. Her hair matched the colour of the sky. Her dark eyes fixed outward seemed even more beautiful then in normal lighting. With a smile and a tap against the rock it gave away and Lydia let out a streak. She tumbled sideways and landed with a soft plop onto Beetlejuice chest. She stared wide-eyed up at him for a long time before she realised what he had just done.**

**"You. You! ARG!" She cried clambering to her feet. "Do you have this affect on all people you meet?" **

**"You don't need to say it. I know how much of a turn on I am already." He said with a wink. **

**"Why you self conceded bastard." She said in a low snarl. "Don't you ever stop?"**

**"Stop what? Why?" **

**"Stop being so…so…"**

**"Sexy? Alluring? Seductive? Amusing?"**

**"Annoying!" Lydia shot back cutting him off.**

**"Now that hurt." **

**"Good. You need a smack in the head. Maybe it'll tighten your screw loose." **

**"Again, that hurt!"**

**Lydia glared at him crossing her arms. He laughed and pulled her by the arm. "What the hell?" She cried dragging her feet trying to get him to stop. Beetlejuice pulled her closer to the edge and spun her around to face the sky. He looped his arms around her body and pulled her close to him. Lydia looked out to see the moon of her world and the ones of this. **

**"BJ…"**

**"Shh…Beautiful isn't it?" Beetlejuice asked looking down at the girl in his arms. She turned her head slowly to look back at him. Their eyes locked, Lydia though it must look like a typical movie love scene where some girl and her lover share they're first kiss. Beetlejuice's dead heart beat out of control. He could see the wanting inside her eyes, the effect he had on her by the redness in her cheeks. He slowly lowered his head towards hers. Lydia snapped. He was going kiss her. Her head shot forward again. She bit her bottom lip. She wanted him to but at the same time she knew he shouldn't and she shouldn't want him to. **

**Beetlejuice stopped. That this rate if she kept spurring his advances, it's be month before he'd get out. He straightened up, still holding her close. He could wait but not forever and he knew she couldn't either.**

**They remained staring out at the sky for a long time, Lydia wrapped in his arms.**

**---**

**"There ya go, home sweet home." Beetlejuice said opening the door for her. Lydia giggled and walked inside the Roadhouse. She tucked some hair behind her ears and beamed. **

**"Thanks." She said, her voice honey sweet.**

**"No problem." He said. **

**"Well, I'm going to-" Lydia pointed over her shoulder, not remember her words. "Bed!"**

**"Yeah, go on."**

**Lydia giggled again and headed for the door across the room. She stopped halfway there, her heart was pounding out of her chest and she couldn't stop what she was about to do. Slowly she turned around and walked back, right into him. Wrapping her arms around his torso she lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him full on the lips. Beetlejuice gaped back blankly. He could have expected this and yet he didn't. Lydia pulled back slightly to look up at him. He had a shocked look on his face and his mouth dropped open. Lydia smiled before running out of the room in slight embarrassment. **

**'_She couldn't have just done that.'_**** Beetlejuice thought to himself. He could have expected this and yet he didn't. He had planed for this to happen but he never saw it coming.**

**---**

**She couldn't have just done that. Lydia ran right to her room and closed the door behind her. She gave a short laugh at her actions. Why she just did that she didn't know. Walking over to her bed she pulled back the sheets and kicked off her shoes. The door creaked behind her and she jumped as she turned. In the doorway stood Beetlejuice with a distraught look on his face. **

**"BJ!" She said. **

**The depressing look on his face melted into a fierce determined look. Lydia raised an eyebrow. He crossed the room in widely spaced steps. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him capturing her lips with his own. Lydia gasped at sudden the kiss but soon closed her eyes tightly giving in to it. **

**From that moment on no words past between the two of them, **

**Beetlejuice kissed her furiously trailing along her jaw and down her throat. Lydia fisted his blond hair as she bit down on her lip. Lydia breathed hard as a feeling of lightness traveled through her body. **

**She moved closer to him, pressing her small body against his. This drove Beetlejuice insane, his body aching for more. He ran his hands along her rib cage wanting to touch every inch of her. Lydia rested her head on his shoulder, moaning into his touch. Hungry for her Beetlejuice tangled his hands in the fabric of her nightdress. He pulled the material up around her hips exposing her naked thighs. **

**He looked into her eyes but found no sign of objection. Leaning her back onto her bed he threw off his jacket. She couldn't hold back the smile that crossed her face. He kissed her then. Lydia's finger nails digging into his back causing him to groan against her thin lips. **

**Lydia looked up at Beetlejuice, her eyes searching for something. Leaning up she kissed the side of his mouth. He looked down at Lydia with a lustful look and she saw something behind his eyes that made her know she wasn't making a mistake. Beetlejuice winked at her making her giggle and the lights went out.**

**---**

** A/N 0.5: Ok so not really how I thought I'd end this chapter but come on. They belong together and they're cute. And I didn't want to add too much to this chapter or it would have gone on forever and I wouldn't have anything to put in any fallowing chapters. So yeah tell me what ya think please. **

**Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and Merry Eggnog to all of you guys reading this right now, yay you. **

**Reviewed Reviews:**

Black-Beri: Hope I didn't jump into it in this chapter but I needed things to get ahead so I can work more on the next big thing in the next chapter. You'll have to read it to figure out what the hell I'm talking about. :Winks:

1woof1: Aint you devoted! So did this chapter make you as happy as the other ones? I sure hope so. Thanks for all your reviews.

Jade: yes, yes we all know this. Love your reviews. See ya at some point in the next week. Love ya.

Secrets101: thank you for your review.

Siamese2005: I agree 100 percent!

Jade…again? Oh well: Thanks, so it this better then that last?

Ed's Tomato: YAY for Stockholm's Syndrome. And I'm not sure why every one makes BJ so nice right off the bat. It's not really his character. Thanks for the review and hope to hear some more soon.

Jillybear: what the hell do you want crazy lady? Nvm thanks anyway Jill.

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	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Silenced with a Glare

Have you ever been in high school? Have you heard the girls in the back of class laughing like giddy morons? Do you know what they saw? The bursts of laughter and incoherent whispers would erupt from the groups of shallow and vapid teenage girls. talks of drinks and smokes, but mostly the sex. Who was having it and with whom. Who was good and who wasn't. Along with the giggles of who almost got pregnant or who got caught by mom and dad. '_Ah the intelligent and mature conversations of today's youth_,' thought Lydia as she lay drunk in her own ecstasy.

You always think, when you were a child, that you'd never have sex, never get married, never have kids, and why? Because, as children we didn't fully understand it, that only adults would ever do this like of thing (as we thought of staying young forever), and that the opposite sex was gross. Boys not understanding girls as they ran around showing off and acting like they were some kind of king. Girls playing dress up with friends and thinking boys were stupid.

Ah even more wonderful thoughts. Lydia couldn't help but remember the little kids around town, the same ones that would giggle if they saw a couple holding hands or kissing. The same kids that will grow up, mature physically, unfortunately not mentally, and will be running after anything on two legs.

Hormones were never a good thing around a school full of teens. One of the reasons her father and Delia put her in an all girls school in the first place. '_Even though_,' Lydia thought with a snicker, '_It would have been funny if she had turned out to be a lesbian.' _But she was happy that she didn't turn out that way now. It amazed her that she could find someone that she could be happy with. Even more amazing that the one she fell for, was Beetlejuice; not the she didn't find it predictable in the least. Ever since she had been abducted she felt a strange connection with him.

Lydia smiled broadly as she closed her eyes softly; falling asleep in the large musky pillow, two wonderfully cold arms still wrapped around her waist and a cold dead chest breathing slowly against her back.

---

Beetlejuice exhaled as softly as he could. Lydia relaxed in his arms, sighing as she fell asleep.

It seemed like hours before he could move, positive that she wouldn't wake up. He rolled over onto his back slowly, pulling his arms away from her warm body. He stared above him for a long time, he wasn't sure of how long it really was. Flexing his fingers he sat up, letting his legs fall off his side of the bed. Beetlejuice sighed resting his arms on his thighs and closing his eyes tightly.

How did he get into this? That's what was running though his mind. He knew that he was getting in too deep. He'd been thrown overboard without a lifejacket.

"Fuck!" he breathed pushing himself to his feet. This was part of his plan. All of this, but he never thought he'd wind up getting so emotionally attached. He grabbed his pant and button up shirt, which lay on the floor. In a hurry he pulled them on violently and fled from the room, giving Lydia a solitary glance back before he left.

Beetlejuice floated down the hall towards his kitchen. His head was hung low by his chest and his arms were slung in his pockets. Turning into the kitchen he signed again, his shoulders flopping back even more.

"_What the fuck were you thinking?"_ An angry voice yelled out in his mind.

"_Are you really that stupid?"_

"_You were almost out now you're too involved to go through with the rest of the plan."_

"I am so stupid." He said aloud, running a hand over his face.

"Yes you are." A voice said behind him.

"Ha-ha you can shut up now!" He answered hitting the side of his head with the palm of his hand.

"Beetlejuice turn the hell around." Beetlejuice turned to see the oh-so-beloved Juno standing in the doorway with the typical smoke ring floating around her head like a halo.

"What do you want? I'm having a bad day." He said to her dully.

"A bad day…" She laughed before yelling, "A BAD DAY? Have you any idea what you've just done?"

"Walked into m kitchen?"

"You perverted bastard. Why didn't you just jerk off in a whore house and leave that poor girl alone?"

"In my defense, she was completely up for anything."

"Bullshit!"

---

Lydia stirred, her legs stretching out. From somewhere in the house she could hear a muffled conversation, a very angry conversation. She could tell one of the voices belonged to Beetlejuice, as she rolled over too see him no longer next to her. The other she didn't quite recognize, but she could tell it was female. Lydia listened as the yells grew louder, but what they were saying was still a mystery.

Sitting up and looking around for her clothes, she didn't see right away. Sliding a crossed the bed to where Beetlejuice was lying shortly before she saw his large stripped coat crumpled in the corner next to the wall. She got off the bed, he feet hardly made a noise. The cold air hit her body making her shiver. With a small prance she was by the wall. She picked up Beetlejuice's jacket quickly.

"Bullshit!" Lydia dropped the jacket, the buttons clicked as they hit the wall and floor. Lydia knew that yell. It wasn't Beej but the woman was with him. _'Juno?'_ Did Juno know she was here? Is she the cause for the yelling?

She picked the coat back up and slipped it on. It was too big for her; the sleeves passed her finger tips and the hem ended half way down her thighs. Lydia didn't feel at all comfortable to go out into the hall like this. She wanted pants and a regular _clean_ shirt, or something to wear. Parts of Beetlejuice's jacket were crunchy from all the grime attached to it. The hem was covered in dry mud and sand and the stitching was so moldy Lydia wondered how the coat stayed together. The yelling was getting louder. Lydia looked up at the door. She swallowed hard.

Biting her bottom lip and fisting the sleeves of her lovers coat Lydia left the room quietly.

---

"How do I not believe you?"

"Fine, don't believe me. What can you do about it?"

Beetlejuice glared at the dead woman before him. His breathing was shaken and he was having a hard time controlling his anger.

"Quite a lot!" Answered Juno equally frustrated. She was ready to kill Beetlejuice, again! "This would be different though if you had feelings for her."

"HA! Feelings are for wimps like you."

"I think you might have feelings for her."

"Yeah well what does an old bag like you know?" He spat back.

"Don't you get it? Do you have the slightest idea what's going on?" She yelled throwing her fourth cigarette to the floor.

"And do you know how many times I've been asked that in the past three years? It's getting really old really fast, so unless you can actually explain it to me, get the fuck out of my house!"

"Beetlejuice!"

"NO! I don't have _'feelings'_ for her! Now stop breathing down my neck and get out!"

Juno looked him over. Her wrinkled face scrunched up in a sneer. She fingered the long bead necklace around her saggy neck said; "Your trail's been changed." and vanished in a ring of smoke.

Beetlejuice had had it. He growled darkly, glaring at the place where the old hag had just been standing like the smug bitch she was. His fingers twitched. His pent up rage came bursting out as he flung one of the kitchen chairs a crossed the room and out the doorway with a frustrated howl. The second it left his hands his eyes closed and he cursed himself.

A short scared scream was fallowed by the chair coming in contact with the wall.

---

Lydia shrieked as the chair came hurtling at her head. She threw back into the hallway, landing on her butt as she fell over herself. Her hand clamped over her mouth when she realist she had made noise. She wasn't supposed to be heard. Slowly her hand fell and she wallowed hard. Foot steps rushed over the floor in the next room before the looming figure of Beetlejuice slid out into the hall, a mixture of emotions showing on his face.

"Babes…" He breathed carefully.

Lydia recoiled, her teeth digging into her lip painfully.

"Babes…what ever you thought you heard….it's not…it's not what you think…I just…." He started to explain in a panic moving forward faster than he should have. Lydia slid back quickly, tears coming to her eyes.

"NO. I can explain…"

"Explain what!" She screamed up at losing all control over her voice level. "I hear you. I hear everything you said." She pushed herself to her feet and staggered forward towards him. This time it was his turn to back off. "I was just a game to you wasn't I? Am I a joke? You were using me, and I knew it! But….." She swore lightly. Her hands balled into fists.

"Listen to me…"

"NO!" She burst out. "I'm not listening anymore! All you've done, every think… was a lie. And I believed you! I can't believe I believed you!"

Lydia was grabbed by the shoulders and hauled toward Beetlejuice. His lips smashed against hers. His aggressive kiss was stopped when Lydia's hand came streaking a crossed his face. He stepped back, his eyes staring into hers in shock. He didn't know what to do. He was losing her with ever passing second.

"Beetlejuice you BASTARD!" She screamed at him. "I hate you!"

"Babes….I…"

"NO! And don't call my babes! My name is LYDIA Beetlejuice you hear me?"

"Lydia no. Don't say it."

"I don't care anymore. I just want to get away from you. Forever." Lydia said, her voice calming extensively, held back tears beginning to stream down her face. "Beetlejuice." She said spitefully.

"NO!" Beetlejuice jumped forward, through his arms out to hold her in an attempted to make her stay, but was unsuccessful. The second the last syllable left her lips, she vanished. Never had his name cut so deep, once the thought of her saying his name brought him pleasure, now it brought sadness and the feeling of betrayal.

"Lyds…." He whispered softly in despair, standing alone in his hallway.

"Come Beetlejuice." Beetlejuice turned sharply. A skeleton with a black suit stood before him, a matching bowler hat placed on his round skull.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"It's time for your trial."

---

A/N: sorry it took so long. I was never in the mood to write, but then I woke up today and was immensely grumpy and just started writing and here's the result. Hope you guys like it! I know I do. AAAnd I know how much you all wanted me to update….so here it is! Don't hate me for making it this late…please? puppy eyes

Review Corner:

Rach: Thanks for the comment and glad you like the story so far.

Mel: Here is that twist every ones been waiting for. And thank you for the comment.

Jan: Didn't stop. And I'm very sorry for making you wait so long.

Midnyte: it's up. It's up. Thanks for the comment love!

1woof1: sorry for cutting of the best parts but I wouldn't have anything for later on if I continued now would I?

Jillybear: Go Jilly, go Jilly!

Ed's Tomato: hey there! Did this in a rush so I know there are mistakes and shit so I'm sorry!

Jade: Hey beautiful! Sorry for being grumpy to you. Hope you love this chapter. Or at least like it.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Nothing Normal

A/N: sorry…. I know it took forever to get this up but there's a lot going on! sad exams are done. So that took a large chunk of my time this week. Had a date last Sunday with my girl Jade! Hi baby!! And cry I'm moving to Winnipeg so that's /very/ emotional and time consuming for me.

Kay…so again, I'm sorry it took this long to update but….yeah there's a lot of stuff to do. But now that it is summer vacation; this story is my number one free time priority! Hope you like this chapter! Bye for now!

Disclaimer (again): For those who have forgotten I don't own Beetlejuice or the brilliant Tim Burton. Damn it.

R: M (beware the excessive swearing!)

--

Chapter Nine: Little Miss Brown Eyes

(a.k.a: the chapter of plot holes and an attempt to follow the movie's story line and failing badly )

--

She coughed roughly, eyes remaining closed as her arms stretched out above her head. Her bed was soft and warm; her room was dark and quiet. Lydia rolled over; the unhappy frown she had grown to use every day was plain on her face. Her lips puckered as she looked at the empty side of her large bed. Her arms which were sprawled out above her head sunk back under her sheets. They curled around her body as she had a sudden shiver. Lydia sighed; the staleness of her breath dragging passed her teeth making them feel coated with fuzz. Her bed felt too big…too empty for just her. She buried her now sad face into the pillow which held her head, pulling the sheets around her tightly, suddenly cold.

Her day had started off normally:

She got up, late

Didn't eat breakfast

Was late for school

Was late to come home from school because of a detention

And went to bed early, not finishing her homework for the day to follow

She had thought about death, killing herself so she didn't have to wait, but if it meant ending up in hell for a couple thousand years like Barbra and Adam had told her, she changed her mind pretty quickly.

_Barbra…Adam…_

They were long gone. They had been exercised three years ago. She remembered having to sit and watch as her only friends slowly crumble before her, turn to dust and vanish… Tears began to soak her pillow case. These tears came easy to her. Almost every night since then Lydia had cried until she was too exhausted to stay awake. As pitiful as it was, this was how she was living her life. Not all alive, but not quite dead enough for it to be true.

--

"Beetlejuice, you have been called before this court for the last time."

Beetlejuice looked up at the row of hooded judges, then over at the skeleton jury. He didn't like his odds. He stood in a spotlight admitting from somewhere above him. Bowing his head Beetlejuice fisted the breaking wood podium in front of him for support, his scraggly hair falling over his eyes, hiding his shame and sadness. At this point he couldn't careless about what happened to him….all he cared about was Lydia. _What would happen to her? Did she remember him? Did she know who he was anymore? How was she now? Was she alright?_ Question, so many question ran though his head. Too many, there were too many to count. He couldn't stand not knowing the answers. Too many question, no answers. He wanted answers. The judges were talking, but Beetlejuice never heard a single word they said. Beetlejuice's arms shook, his hands gripping the wood of the podium harder.

"Beetlejuice!" He looked up through his hair, his eyes no longer sad, but angry. Angry filled him now, nothing but anger. "We sentence you to afterlife in the mirror realm." The judge's gavel hit the wood, the loud crack erupting though the empty blackness of the courtroom. Wind picked up whipping around everything. Beetlejuice ripped his hands away from the podium, pieces of wood chipping off under his fingernails, paint curling around the indents and scratches he had made.

Fisted and splintered, his hands dropped to his sides...

Around him the courtroom vanished leaving him standing in the dark, alone, to await his sentence.

"Well done Beetlejuice," said a wheezy old voice from behind. Beetlejuice spun around, furry burning in his eyes.

"YOU SHIT!" Beetlejuice screamed at Juno, her old wrinkled face glaring back at him. "GOD I'D…." He growled and grabbed at his yellow hair, his eyes blazing a vibrant green in the darkness.

"You'd what?" She asked flicking ash from her cigarette.

"It doesn't matter." He stammered, letting go of his hair.

"Oh really?-" "Go away!" He bellowed at the old hag. "Just leave me the fuck alone for once. Do me that would ya? Go fuck yourself somewhere else and leave me alone!"

"What were you expecting Beetlejuice? Hmm? Did you think that this would all work out the way you planed? You'd get some happily-ever-after or some kind of shit like that?"

Beetlejuice lowered his head. What did he expect? How did he not see this coming? In retrospect he had this planned out in his head, but everything went gone along the time of developing microscopic traces of feelings for a breather. She was a shy, scared, gullible little breather… but she was his. Beetlejuice sighed out a long deep breathe and silently admitted defeat. Lydia. Lydia was all his or rather, she _was_ his. Slowly he raised his head back up to look a Juno. He was scared to ask, but the question was burning into his brain.

"Is lyd-….what happened to the girl?" He said softly.

"Do you really care?" Juno said. She put her cigarette to her cracked old lips and walked passed Beetlejuice, her high heels managing to make annoying _clicks_ on the invisible floor under their feet. Beetlejuice stayed quiet, he didn't even look in her direction. "Well if you must know, she doesn't remember you." Juno's voice was calm and unemotional and she could still sense how deeply her words had cut in to the man behind her. Slowly Juno turned and flicked her cigarette away. "We made it so no one remembers ever meeting you. Basically, we removed you from their history and made it like you never wormed your way into their lives."

"Seems like a lot of work over one little mistake on my end." Beetlejuice's eyes stared at his feet; a single bead of sweat ran down his brow. In his mind he screamed and cursed the witch a few feet away from him.

"It had to be done. Couldn't take the change of you being called back now could we? Not that it's a problem now since none of them know you ever existed."

Beetlejuice scrunch his eyebrows. "But….if I never was there those other two dead guys would have been exercised by the fat dude…wouldn't they?" He asked in confusion. They over looked his good deed…his only good deed?

"Unfortunately, yes." Juno nodded.

"This is stupid." Beetlejuice was frustrated to no end. His teeth clenched and his fisted tightened till his knuckles turned a bone white under his grey skin. It was the honest truth; he didn't care about the Maitlands or whatever their names were. The only one he "cared" about, besides himself, was Lydia. As odd to him as it was, and it was way up there on the impossible scale, he cared about her. It was unimaginable, unbelievable, and rather incredible. Beetlejuice strained to keep his anger under control. Grinding his teeth he looked over at Juno, aching to say something, anything. He said nothing. Other he held his tongue or he'd give away every feeling he had in him.

"Beetlejuice, we did this for the good of everyone. No one can ever call you out anymore if they don't know your name. You're sentence begins now." Juno turned away from him and started to walk away into the dark nothingness ahead of them.

"Wait!" Beetlejuice tried to yell trying to sound angry but his voice came out sheepish, dead, and hurt. It sounded so weak to him and he cursed himself for even opening his mouth. Juno stopped walking but did not turn to face Beetlejuice. She stood a ways off from him, still, waiting for him to say or do something. Swallowing hard Beetlejuice stood his ground and demanded an answer. "Where is Lydia?"

"Don't worry; she's safe and sound at home with her parents. Why? Do you miss her already?" Juno snorted cocking her neck to look back over her shoulder.

"Don't mock me ya old bat!"

Juno straightened her blazer and walked on. A few moments of though passed her before she stopped again. She sighed heavily, rolled her eyes, and turned back around to look a Beetlejuice who remained staring at the ground aimlessly.

"This is bull…" She said slowly. "Turn around." Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow and paused. He blinked a couple of times before facing the other direction. What lay before him made Beetlejuice almost want to kill himself and die a slow death, again. Juno smirked and disappeared in her usual gloomy smoke effects. Beetlejuice couldn't believe that he was now looking through the mirror in Lydia's bedroom.

The dim room was clean, for a teenager that is. The heavy dark curtains were pulled shut. The indication of night time filled the room. In the bed, asleep, was a familiar face; a pale beautiful face, Lydia's face. It was slightly covered by her blankets and her hair but Beetlejuice could see her closed eyes, her small nose, and her full upper lip. The covers on her bed rose and fell with her slow intakes of breath. The frame in front of him held his beautiful desire. Beyond this glass was his only angel, the only gift ever given to him. Beetlejuice's emotions felt like a snow storm was forming inside of him, cold and icy, and all racing around in different direction touching every part of his body. His dead heart ached for the form placed before him. This was torture, to see what he wanted but unable to touch, to hear, to kiss. Beetlejuice brushed the mirror with his knuckles, the cold glass relaxing him. He sighed loudly.

"The devil must be female." Beetlejuice breathed against the glass, condensation forming in small clouds. "Only a woman could be this cruel."

He held his breath. Looked over at Lydia, Beetlejuice paused, his lifeless heart pounded in his ears like a drum. "Lydia..." It came as a whisper. His voice was shaking, his mind raced. Gulping hard be flattened his palms against the glass. "Lydia." He said again, this time in a calm and normal voice. Beetlejuice waited. Nothing happened. What were the limits of his sentence? What were his power boundaries? Juno had never said. Filled with a small ounce of hope, most of it just curiosity, Beetlejuice clenched his hands into fists as they began to shake. He closed his eyes and tried to keep himself from attempting to break the glass which he already knew would be impossible. "Lydia." His voice was clear and loud. The fists he had made were tighter now. The crocked yellow nails were biting into his palms. "Fuck." He cursed leaning his forehead on the glass. Squeezing his eyes shut he paused to think. _'Where did I go wrong? Never mind, I know the answer. It's the little brat's fault. Pfft, she's not a brat… unfortunately.'_

"Damn it, why did I have to be fucking attracted to that skinny little bitch!" Beetlejuice hurled himself away from the mirror cursing his after life; repeating how moronic he is, how much of a bastard he is; shouting into the blank nothingness around him. Arms slumped by his sides Beetlejuice lowered his head, hair falling into his face, mouth hung open. He felt so stupid.

"Ha...hehe...hahaha…" Then, with out a warning, broke out into a hysterical albeit maniacal laughter. His eyes slipped shut. In his mind a pair of sparkling brown eyes looked back at him. They were the most beautiful eyes he had ever looked into; glossy, clear, smiling eyes, perfectly stunning eyes. Her eyes…god how he loved them, the emotion in them, a glace could kill him again, but he do anything to look into them for the rest of eternity. Calming down Beetlejuice let his hand rise to his face, the back side wiping off a mixture of sweat and dirt.

"Christ I fucked up…Lydia…I miss you so much."

--

A/N #2: awwwwwww…sorry, it's not as long as many of you would have liked. It's not even as long as I would have liked but I don't want to give it all away in one chapter. So ooh what's next right? Well I can't tell you! Sorry. I would but there will be more chapters! But till them enjoy that little semi cliff-hanger.

Hope you guys liked this chapter!! I did…. I still find the story line odd for this chapter since I'm re writing the movie sort of…. Cuz if you take Beetlejuice out of the movie all together then the Maitlands would still have been found out and exercised since BJ was the one to save them from that…… so I think I did with it all.

Reviews: 

**Jade**: BABY!! glomps yeah I had to make him go away…for now! wink and I'm glad I can't say a word and have you disappear but I'd love to say a word and have to appear!!

**1WOOF1**: glad you agree with me!! . and thanks for your very continuous reviewing habits!!

**TopazTears1527**: O.O wow I'm writing someone people like? YAY!!

**Jillybear**: glares hey thanks buddy.

**Jezebel Montague**: thanks for the review!! And you're welcome!! .

**Siamese2005**: . thank you so much!! "Yays" all around!! :)

**Brett**: or else what? You live too far away to do anything…and I'm moving so you'll be even farther away.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: "Pull Through…Please

Chapter Ten: Crossing the Line

Have you ever noticed how different colours can make you feel different emotions? Imagine you are in a room; everything in this room is the same colour, the same shade, the same texture. When you change the colours you feel differently don't you? Yellow can make you feel happy, but then blue can make you feel sad or cold. Purples and reds can make you feels warm or energetic. But in our case, in this case, the colour, our colour is not blue or yellow, white or even brown. Our colour is black. Now this colour makes you think of a lot of things doesn't it? Things like: night time, shadows, funerals, and death.

Well, for Beetlejuice, as he lay in the dark, engulfed by the blackness around him, seeing no colour but what little he could make out inside Lydia's bedroom through the floating mirror, he felt drained. Emotionally drained; drained of life, drained of will power, drained of hope and drained of the ability to care about anything.

"Damn," He breathed, slowly raising a hand slowly to wipe over his mouth as he tried to think. Never again would he let a women worm her way into his brain. "It's all in your head..." this is what he told himself as he closed his eyes wearily. "It's all in your head…" over and over again. She was just some girl; there was no attachment. This wasn't love; this was some kind of infatuation. His explanation for this was that love doesn't exist. He'd never find someone to love or who would love him. The every idea of it, it was ridiculous. He didn't love.

'_It's not love you idiot. You've never been in love! She's just some girl you never should have fucked with!'_

Beetlejuice exhaled roughly. Never have he felt this much frustration. He wanted to scream, punch something, anything to get his anger out, but he didn't move. He remained on the laying down, mentally paralyzed, unable to get up. Until the sound of a yawn came to his ears; but he did not yawn. Forcibly raising his head Beetlejuice looked over at the mirror just passed his feet. He blinked a few times before forcing his body to roll over and stand up, which took quite a bit of effort.

He walked over to the mirror, placing both hands on either side. His eyes focused on the happenings inside the room just beyond the glass.

--

Lydia groaned loudly slamming a hand down on her alarm clock next to her bed. Rubbing her eyes she yawned and sat up in her bed. The tank top she was wearing had fallen off one of her shoulders and was revealing the top curve of her right breast.

Beetlejuice swallowed hard looking in on her. His eyes were focused on her body. The perfect creation he had been holding not long ago and that was now out of reach to him. His eye drifted to her face, her young, sweet, beautiful, and innocent face. Beetlejuice growled in anger at the glass between him and his angel. He wanted it to just break. With that he started screaming her name and beating his fists against the glass. His eyes stared through the mirror at her.

'_Fuck!'_ He thought. _'I do love her…'_

Lydia lifted her head yawing again. Her eyes popped open. In the back of her head she heard a voice, small, quiet and pretty much incoherent. She looked around in confusion. Pushing herself out of her bed and stretching a bit more, Lydia blew off the idea of the voice and went back to her morning routine and slowly found clothes to wear for the day.

As disappointed as he was Beetlejuice did indeed enjoy the view the mirror gave him. Eyes glued on her as she stripped off her top and pants down to nothing. Beetlejuice could feel his mouth dry up and his already lose fitting pants tighten at the exposure of her skin.

"Fuck." He groaned aloud. This really was punishment. His mouth hung open and his eyes wandered over her body slowly, remembering how it all felt when he had her in bed. How it felt to be tangles in her limbs and how good her sweat and breathing felt on his cold skin. A sharp shiver went down Beetlejuice's spin and he grunted as he ground his teeth together.

Her skin was so perfect. Its flawless pale colour seemed to glow in the sun light coming in through her curtains. Beetlejuice had never held anything as soft and smooth as her skin. She was so young and beautiful, which made him ask himself what would she want with someone as old, ugly and disgusting as he was? And as much as he wanted her, he couldn't deny that he all that he thought.

Lydia could feel eyes on her, as if she were being watched from somewhere in her room. It made her uneasy and she looked around but still saw no one. Beetlejuice noticed this and started to beat frantically against the mirror's glass surface. In hopes to get her attention he tried to tell her name again. Lydia heard the voice in the back of her head and dropped the shirt she had been holding.

"Hello?" She asked quietly. Lydia scrunched her eyebrows, baffled about why she was hearing voices. Her mind did a flip and her lips moved slowly. "Barbra? Adam?"

Beetlejuice pouted and leaned his head on the glass. Those two… He longed for her to remember him, longed for her to say his name. Beetlejuice closed his eyes and could hear her voice in his head; her soft voice whispering his name. She had the voice of an angel; a voice that could stop a heart from beating; a voice like liquid lightening going through your blood. It was so soft and innocent, caring and sweet, but still quick tongued and somewhat stubbornly toned.

"Say my name babes!" He demanded against the glass, condensation forming in a puffy little cloud.

Lydia picked up her shirt again and slipped it on over her head. Beetlejuice watched her dress, watched her hide her body from him. His nails ran down the glass causing an ear shattering wail. A low growl burbled from his throat and he roared loudly as he punched the glass a few times in anger.

"Fuck! Remember me! LYDIA!" His voice rang out as loud as it could possibly go. His eyes began to glow brightly in the dimness of his prison. Beetlejuice's anger boiled up inside of him. Still pounding at the unbreakable glass he continued to scream and swear. Forcing himself from the mirror and the sight of Lydia walking out of her room Beetlejuice seized his hair, pulling on it hard while screaming like some sort of blood thirsty savage.

"GRRRRAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!"

--

Lydia slunk down stair into the kitchen, its dark odd fixtures matching her mood. Her step mother, Delia Deetz sat at the kitchen table waiting for her coffee maker to beep.

"Lydia, are you feeling ok?" She asked as Lydia walked in looking paler than normal and on the verge of crying. "You look so white." Lydia looked up at her step mother.

"I'm fine." She answered opening then soon after closing the fridge finding no food to eat. Lydia decided she wasn't hungry after all and started to walk out of the kitchen before Delia said,

"Since its Saturday I was thinking you should spend the day outside. You've been hoped up inside for too long. It's not all that health."

"Yeah…sure…" Lydia said with a frown. She started to head back to her for her coat.

"Good morning pumpkin, how are to today?" Lydia's father asked coming down the stairs as she was going up.

"Just hearing voices is all, but nothing new." She grunted stomping passed.

"That's great honey…I think…"

--

Lydia grabbed her coat and left. She got outside and was met with autumn's icy personality. Cold air hit her face, the rush of cold air made her lungs freeze. The air was cold, it was windy, the sky was grey with cloudy; Lydia wondered why Delia wanted her to come outside when it was more uneventful than being inside.

Lydia dragged her feet as she walked down her driveway slowly. She put her hands in her pockets and hung her head. Thinking on the voice she had heard…if it was really a voice or her imagination. She couldn't have just been hearing things. It had to be real.

Lydia walked along the side of the road. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes in thought. Why had she suddenly started hearing voices? Was it even a voice? Or was it just her imagination?

In front of her up the street and getting louder Lydia heard a loud racket of teenage girls giggling. Lydia groaned dreading the stares and awkward silence that would come when she passed them. Lydia was used to the stares and rude remarks she got around people. They didn't know her though, didn't grasp the concept of being your own person. They were followers to the core, like sheep being lead by a Shepard. Doing what they were told to do, to wear, how to act, and who to like and who to hate.

As Lydia approached them she looked away from them. Their laughs died down quickly and the girls separated to let her pass. _God forbid that people would ever go near the living dead girl named Lydia Deetz._ Lydia frowned; she could feel their eyes on her back. They stood to stare at her, Lydia could tell by not hearing their foot steps anymore. But from the group of girls she knew from school snickers and incoherent whispers drifted to her ears. Lydia lowered her head even more, her eyes tightening shut as she walked to stop them from disobeying her. She would not cry around those people. None of them would ever see her crying.

--

Lydia closed the door to her room and leaned her back to it. Her head dropped to her chest and she sighed heavily. Tears slowly escaped her eyes and ran along her cheeks and dripped off of her chin to land on the floor in tiny puddles.

"I'm so alone…"She breathed quietly sliding down to sit against the door.

'_You're never alone babes…'_ Lydia's head shot up.

"Hello?" She asked out loud. Was she really hearing voices?

'_I'm with you…'_

--

Beetlejuice sat attentively waiting for Lydia to return back to her room. He watched the door for her form, listening for her voice. Finally after about an hour of waiting she came back into the room looking more upset than she had when she left earlier this morning. She was upset, more so than he had seen her in a long time; crying and hurt. He felt his stomach start to turn, wanting to eat its self.

Beetlejuice sighed cringing at the urge he had to hold her in his arms. He ran a hand through his filthy blond hair. "Lydia…" He breathed against the glass and reaching his hand out to her but couldn't get to her at all. The glass was cold, as was he. Beetlejuice scrunched his face into a sad and yet angry expression.

"_I'm so alone…"_ He heard her whisper. His dead heart lurched inside his chest, breaking with the words she had just said. _'You silly girl! I'm right here. You're never alone.'_

"You're never alone babes…" He said resting his head on the mirror frame. "I'm with you…"

At his quiet words Lydia's head had shot up in surprised. Beetlejuice stared at her in bewilderment. Has she heard him?

'_Hello?'_ Lydia's voice was nervous and she sounded unsure of what she had heard if she had heard anything at all. Beetlejuice's spine stiffened, praying that she had heard him. Swallowing hard and exhaling against the glass he asked directly,

"Lydia…can you hear me?" Her crossed his fingers and waited for her to other answer or for her to not. Shaking and scared of what would happen he watched her closely.

Lydia too was shaking and scared. She wondered who was talking to her. It was a male voice but not one she knew. It was too rough to be Adam's. Curious but mostly just afraid, Lydia stood up. "Who are you?" She asked slowly eyeing each corner of her room.

She had heard him! Beetlejuice slammed his fist into the mirror in excitement. He thought for a moment…

_How could she hear him and talk back? How could this be a punishment?_ He could see her, talk to her. He paused and lowered his head realizing how it was punishment…

Lydia didn't remember him…

Didn't feel for him as he knew she had before…

Didn't know his name…

'_Who are you?'_ It rung in his head, the painful sting of those words ripped at his dead heart.

_Lydia…_ "I can't tell you my name…" Beetlejuice sighed watching her. _Why had he said that?_ He said it because he loved her. He didn't want her to remember all the things he did to hurt her and her family. As heart breaking as it was for him, he wanted her to have a better life than anything she could ever have with him. Beetlejuice knew he'd never have her again but he didn't want to give her up entirely. He needed her. She kept him sane. Beetlejuice had never felt love and now that he had he couldn't go through his afterlife without her as at least a friend.

'_Why not?'_ Beetlejuice closed his eyes tightly; having Lydia hate him once was painful enough, he didn't want to make her hate him all over again. Not again.

"I just can't. Just know Lydia…you aren't alone. There's someone looking out for you."

'_Why can't you tell me who you are? How do you know me?'_ Lydia sounded worried and scared. Her position gave that away easily. Her feet were planted close together on the floor, her hands were folded together against her chest, and her facial expression resembled a lost little child, scared of what monster was locked away somewhere in her room.

"Don't worry, I knew your friends Barbara and Adam." He said trying to get her to look less paranoid. Beetlejuice didn't lie when he said this; he just never said how he knew them. Sighing lightly he added, "I'm not going to hurt you. There's no need to be scared of me."

Lydia shook her head. She had to be crazy. "No, you're just my imagination right? I'm over stressing myself."

'No you're not. I'm really here.' The voice said in her head.

"Where are you? How can you be talking to me? Who ARE you?" Lydia asked frantically. Her eyes wondered around, confusion clouded her mind.

'It wouldn't matter if I told you who I was…'

"Why?" She asked.

'_Because you will never get to meet me in person… At the most…all you will know of me is the sound of my voice.'_

"So I am alone…"

'_No. I'm still here to talk to you when ever you need it. I'll never leave you unless you ask me to go.'_

"Why are you here? Are you just a voice? Can you see me? Why can I never see you?" She asked feeling a little less frightened.

'_I can't answer that now sweet heart. I don't think I'm allowed to. It's for the same reasons as why I can't tell you my name.'_ The Council would kill him for good if they knew he told her his name; but they must know that he was talking to her. It is an imprisonment, there had to be a guard, something to keep him from doing that. Although he had seen nothing or the kind yet; and he had almost smashed his brains out on the ground a few times now.

Even if there was no one to stop him from telling her who he was, there was himself. He was not going to tell her.

"If you must call me something, call me BJ." He smiled when he had said this; remember when Lydia nicknamed him that.

--

Beetlejuice sighed. Why he was being go calm he didn't know. Why he was being so sincere and kind he didn't give a shit. He wanted her to be happy and if it was without him, than so be it.

And whatever that was causing him to hide what he knew from her at this moment, he didn't know. What he wanted to do was to tell her everything, his name, their past together, what happened in the Neitherworld…

But he knew he couldn't. It would make her hate him whish he couldn't have happen. He hoped talking to her would make her remember something but he doubted that though... and inside he didn't want to remember all the pain he had caused her. She was a child; she didn't need to go through that again. She didn't need to have gone through it the first time. Beetlejuice cursed himself for ever thinking it was a good idea, for ever thinking it up in the first place. He wouldn't be here now if he hadn't…

Then he was glad he did somehow. Getting to see her, meet her again. Maybe get her to like him a little more than he had before. He knew this wouldn't happen of course, but he liked tricking himself into thinking it might.

--

Juno sat at her table drumming her nails on the desk thinking about how long it takes for one fucking letter to be sent and replied to. The rhythmic drumming of her fingers filled her little office easily. For once the small room was clean and the paper work that once filled it was neatly filed and put away. Her impatience was slowly growing as the minute hand on the wall clock ticked by. Juno rubbed the bridge of her nose. _'The Neitherworld mail is as slow as the one back in the real world,'_ She though to herself.

Finally there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" She called out. The door opened and a ghost with a mail bag walked in and up to her desk. He dug out a sealed envelope from his bag and handed it to her, tipped his ugly blue hat he left, closing the door behind him.

Juno waited for the door to _click_ close before grabbing a bone letter opener from the corner of her desk and ripped open the envelope and took out a single sheet of paper. She read it over a few times carefully. They were instructions. A time frame, rules, goals, and penalties… It was all written out according to behaviour, personality, and mental state. The same way instructions were written for a game. And like a chess piece, Beetlejuice was now put into play.

Juno sighed and silently apologized to the air. This was going to be interesting…

--

A/N: Oh my god this is my last post from this house! I'm moving next week!!...well sort of from this house…. It was written here at 26 Hampstead Ct. Dartmouth Nova Scotia Canada. sigh but posted from my girlfriend's house. It's so heart breaking. I wish I could stop crying! Maybe you guys could review like good little readers and make me happy again!! Hopefully my next chapter will be up before September, before school and all that stuff. My day was going awesome to! Now I have no internet!! (This was posted one day later than this was written!) Just as an add-on to the a/n, sorry for this chapter being so short.

Not as many people reviewed the last chapter as much as I had hoped so you guys should review this one!! You know you want to!

Reviews:

Lover not a Fighter: sorry for making you cry! …does it mean that you liked it??

Siamese2005: he so did it didn't he? It was pretty unthinkable for something for him to do now wasn't it?

SeductressofDarkness: I kept on writing!! And here's what came out of it all.

1Woof1: I'm back! Yay! Woot!

Jade: hi love!! How was this chapter?? (puppy eyes) please say it was good!! Thanks for reviewing baby!


	11. Chapter Eleven

A/N: I'm not in the best of emotional states so…

A/N: I'm not in the best of emotional states so…. enjoy and review. Hope you guys like it. And yes before you ask, I did make this a songfic in this chapter. Why? This song is on repeat on my mp3…. Why this song? Cuz it fits this chapter and my mood…

".." - Speech

'…' - Thought

'…' – Second speech

_Italics_ - Song

Song: Savage Garden - Crash 'n' Burn

--

Chapter Eleven: Crash 'n' Burn

_--_

_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart_

_--_

'_Babes…it's late you should go to sleep…it's late and if I'm right you have school in the morning.'_ Beetlejuice said as softly as he could. Lydia stretched on her legs out on her bed.

"You're right… How will I know that you'll still be there in the morning?" Her voice was laced with worry. Beetlejuice could see pain in her eyes. Her past of pain and being let down, forgotten and hurt by people she thought she knew. Beetlejuice stroked a finger along the mirror, imagining how it must feel to touch Lydia's soft cheek again.

--

_I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
Its hard to find relief and people can be so cold  
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you cant take anymore_

--

'_I'll be right here for you Lyds. Right here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.'_ Mentally he could have laughed at himself. Beetlejuice wasn't one for comforting pain; he was the one to cause it for his own amusement. He watched Lydia pick herself off of her bed so she could pull her sheets back. She pulled her pyjamas out from under her pillow smiled in Beetlejuice's general direction and walked out of the room to change. 'Unfortunately' Beetlejuice thought to himself.

She came back quickly with a smile on her face. Beetlejuice smiled to himself. He wished he could kiss her goodnight but couldn't. It hurt him deeply. Lydia said goodnight to him sweetly before turning her light off and curling up under her covers to sleep.

'_Goodnight my angel…'_ He whispered to her, much too quietly for her to actually hear.

--

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

--

Beetlejuice frowned and sat on the ground. His head dropped to his chest and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. What did she think of him? Would she ever be able to remember what they had?

What he thought they had…

What he thought she felt…

What he thought they could have had together…

What he wanted them to have… but what did she want? What had she wanted? Had she even wanted him? Or was it because she was just lonely and jumped at the first person who would take her?

Beetlejuice knew much less than he wanted to. He knew he loved her and would do anything for her. He knew that if he wasn't so dumb he wouldn't be in his prison and Lydia would remember him.

He wanted to always be close to her. Always be there when she needed him. To be there when she didn't but just wanted him around. He wanted to be more than a voice.

Beetlejuice thought long and hard but couldn't come up with a way to make her see who he was and how he felt for her.

--

_When you feel all alone  
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
You're caught in a one way street  
With the monsters in your head  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
You feel like you can't face the day_

--

He couldn't just sit by and let someone take her from him. He couldn't lose her.

Need was a crazy thing. He needed her more than anything right now. It wasn't just a want. It was an impulse from his body. His whole body hurt and twitched with need for her warmth, her body and her heart. Never had he experienced these kinds of feelings.

Beetlejuice ran a hand through his hair and cursed himself silently. For the first time he felt dead.

Yes, dead. Now of course he was dead, but he still had feel in his body and had emotions and thoughts. But now he had none of that. He felt physically and emotionally dead, drained. None of his body parts reacted to what he wanted them to do. His mouth was dry, his eyes burned and his mind was emptying itself of every thought. Nothing in him was anything more than the feeling of emptiness and pain.

He wouldn't let Lydia down though. Even if he wasn't known for keeping promises or if he had ever kept on in his life or afterlife, Beetlejuice swore to himself to keep them for Lydia. He'd be there for her when ever she needed him, wanted him. If she was upset he'd cheer her up. He'd be everything for her and more. And what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, just him. Though he was good at hiding, when it came to hiding from her, it was much harder.

--

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump I'll break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

--

Beetlejuice watched Lydia sleep that night with a heavy heart. Somewhere in him a whole was growing. Worry, guilt, and sadness consumed his emotions and left him in a trance. When ever he didn't see her face, something in him was missing until he saw it again. Every time she wasn't talking to him a constant silence fell over him.

In his mind he knew it was hopeless. Yet he wanted it to work out in his favour. It was a bit selfish thinking of only what he wanted but he didn't care. Beetlejuice wanted to be with Lydia. He refused to let it go. He wanted so much to just go back to the night before Juno dropped in like she had.

Beetlejuice head fell against the glass hard. "Ow…" he said not caring much about the dull pain throbbing in his forehead.

--

_And there has always been heartache and pain  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
You'll breathe again_

--

Quietly breathing against the cool glass Beetlejuice's eyes slipped close. 'My after life sucks,' he thought to himself. Tired and dizzy Beetlejuice dropped to the ground with a _thud_. Eyes closed and face down on the ground he slowly fell into a half sleep.

His mind was too tired to let him stay awake any longer but his body hurt too much to let him fall asleep fully. Instead he awoke with every noise made by his sleeping goddess through the mirror; every noise made outside her own window.

In the morning she would wake up to her alarm clock and hopefully remember he was there waiting for her. When she said good morning he's answer right away. Some how, some day, everything would work out and he'd be able to breathe again.

--  
_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please  
To tame your wild, wild heart_

--

Hours past slowly…

Minutes went by as Beetlejuice didn't move a muscle. Half asleep he lay on the ground thinking. He remembered that he hadn't eaten for a while or had anything to drink. Not that it mattered, he couldn't die from starvation. Even if he could die from it, Beetlejuice didn't give a shit. For all that mattered, he'd roll over and die again. He'd do anything for Lydia to remember everything and forgive him. He'd do anything to make it ok for them. He never met to break her heart like he did.

Eternity with the guilt of how he betrayed her…

Eternity knowing he never meant to do it.

Eternity living with himself… Never trust his judgment again.

--

_Let me be the one you call  
If you jump Ill break your fall  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
If you need to fall apart  
I can mend a broken heart  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone_

--

He'd be there for her when she needed him. He'd be there to cheer her up when needed. He'd do anything to make her happy. Without her his life amounted to nothing. Forced to watch the love of his life, move on without him in her life. The thought made him sick…

Whatever happened, he'd never heal. It was entirely his fault alone and never expected to lose the guilt and pain weighing down his heart. Even by chance she truly forgave him; he would never heal through the pain he had caused her…

--

A/N: that's the end of the chapter…

Reviews to be commented back in next chapter. Sorry…


	12. Chapter Twelve

A/N: here's the next chapter every one….

Reviews from chapter ten/eleven:

Jade: Jade, my love. Here's the new chapter. Sorry for the last one and sorry for pretty much everything else. I love you *kisses* 3

ZoeSophia180: OMG! Here! Don't hurt anyone! Sorry it took so long! I've been busy!

Lover not a Fighter: thank you for review. Should I be apologizing for making you cry?

Jillybear: OMG JILL!!!! HEY!!!! -_- *glares* I still don't see why I can't live in your closet!! And NO! Not Celine Dion!!! Never!

Deshwitat'slover: thank you!

Siamese2005: thank you ^^ *teehee* always fun to hear from you! Here's the new chapter!

SeductressofDarkness: here is the update and I hope to hear back from you again soon. Thank you for commenting on my chapter!

1Woof1: BACK! See, I'm not dead or anything, just busy. But here is the new chapter. Hope you like it as much as the other ones.

Beccky-Boo: Hey Becky! Screw you and your grammar comments! *pokes in the ribs* miss you.

Kami: Squeeee!!!!!! Thank you so much for making a music video for my last chapter!!!!!!!! It was amazing!!!!!!

XCupKateX: thank you! Hope you like this new chapter.

WithoutHesitation: Sorry? …I think…

Sorry for my depressing past chapters. This should make up for it to you guys. It's a bit more….active? No not sex wise (unfortunately). But yeah the characters are actually doing something this time. So all in all, sorry for this being really, really late, but I've had a lot to do and a shit load to deal with.

Oh *teehee* I hope all you people like the new person in the story! Oh now who could it be?*ponders* Claire? Ginger? Mmm! Read Me!!!

Grammar comments I don't really listen to; so Becky, don't bother bringing it up. OK?

Read and Review and I'll get back to you guys all soon with a new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beetlejuice, just the idea for this fanfic. Though if I did own the rights to Beetlejuice I would have made Lydia marry him!!! And the cartoon would still be on TV!!!

---

Chapter Twelve: Mein Herz Brennt

Time seemed to gradually grow slower as the days ticked by. The day gave away to night, turning days to weeks, weeks to months, and autumn became winter. Snow fell often in Peaceful Pines leaving deep white blankets to pile up, covering the ground in cold thick mounds of snow. The blue sky's turned grey as days became dark. The peek of winter had past and soon the days would slowly get warmer, the snow would melt, and the days would be longer and filled with sunshine.

Lydia scratched another day off her calendar. It had been months since she met this voice, her one and only friend. She loved his company. Being able to tell him anything, he never judged her, never called her stupid or over reactive. He was honest and a true friend. Sure they had a few disagreements but they weren't really fights. Just a friendly debate which morally only last a few minutes, hardly ever an hour and never more than a day. Lydia remembered asking BJ why he couldn't leave where ever he was. His only reply was, 'I was banished for trying to hold on to someone close to me.' She didn't ask anymore of it and BJ didn't speak to her for half a day. It was the longest he had gone without talking to her besides when she was at school. As much as she wanted to, and as many questions she had, Lydia tried her best not to bug her friend BJ about his life before he was with her.

"How was school today Babes?" BJ cackled from her mirror; Lydia figured out a long time ago that, that's were he was stuck. Smiling Lydia turned towards the mirror and stuck her tongue out at him.

"It was ok I guess, boring though." She answered teasingly. Still in her school uniform Lydia pulled out her homework from her book bag then put it on her desk. While Lydia worked away at her homework, which had greatly improved since BJ came along; the two joked and talked until Lydia had to change and go have dinner with her parents.

While she was gone off to dinner Beetlejuice, BJ to Lydia still, thought about their past months together. He wanted to hear her say his real name. His nickname was very "cute"; though he wouldn't use the word, but Beetlejuice yearned to hear Lydia's angelic voice softly caress his name like it had before. But every time he went to say his name out load, his voice got stuck in his throat; one punishment of his sentence he guessed. And unlike last time he could not use magic to hint towards what it was. He was being monitored obviously and didn't dare tip-off about his real name using words. So until he other cracked or thought of a different way to tell her, he was stuck.

Lydia came back quickly like always and closed the door behind her. Her parents found it odd sometime why she always hid in her room but they never asked many questions that a small white lie couldn't satisfy for an answer.

'_Homework.' _

'_Headache.' _

'_I like the quiet.'_

They weren't big lies and sometimes they were true, but not often.

"So how was eating cardboard?" Beetlejuice asked smiling even though Lydia could not see him. Lydia shrugged walking over to her bed and falling back onto it.

"Yeah, Delia isn't the best cook." She sighed tucking a few strands of her dark hair behind her ear. Sitting up and smiling into the mirror above her dresser she went on, "I don't think you'd like eating it."

---

"I'll stick to bugs babes. Your step mom's cooking is too... disgusting for me." Beetlejuice said watching Lydia through the glass. He sighed deeply as she started giggling at what he had said. Beetlejuice looked her over; she had changed so much since she had been with him. Her hair was a bit longer; shoulder length and her bangs were longer sitting just above her eyebrows. She looked paler in the poor lighting of her bedroom. She smiled, her lips a red all on their own. The dark makeup that lined her eyes made the brown stand out intensely. Her clothes weren't as layered as they were when he had first meat her years ago. The ugly hats and veils were gone, her clothes were still black and most were still long sleeved but the styles fit her better now that she was older. They didn't fit her like a box but now her dresses and skirts fit her more femininely and curved to fit her body instead of hiding it.

How a person could change that much in such a short time he didn't know. Even he had changed, not that he noticed or cared. Or maybe he did… but until he could think of anything better to do he'd let it slide.

Before dinner she had changed into a long black peasant skirt, which almost reached her feet, and a plain black t-shirt underneath a long black fishnet-style knit sweater, that had a tendency to slide off her left shoulder from time to time.

He smiles to himself. She was so beautiful in his eyes. Beetlejuice touched the glass, wishing to smooth his hands over her sides, tangle them in her hair; there were so many things he wanted to do with his hands. Softly snarling Beetlejuice silently cursed the glass under his hand. His eyes slipped close for a moment.

"_Have you ever been in love BJ?"_ Lydia's soft voice whispered in his ears. He opened his eyes and saw Lydia sitting perfectly up right on her bad, a rather melancholy look on her face.

"Why do you ask babes?" He breathed trying to hide the worry in his voice. A panic started to grow in the back of his head. The air around him started to get thicker and the endless blackness of his cell started to close in. Feeling claustrophobic and starting to sweat a bit, he waited for her to answer.

Lydia looked down at the floor. A good minute or so passed before she looked back up.

"What is it Lyds? Something on your mind?"

Lydia nodded slowly. In a hesitative sentence she said, "It's just that… I don't know if I'll ever be in love… I've never been in love before… I just wanted to know what it was like."

Panic, dizziness and anger builds up quick. Beetlejuice closed his eyes words scrambling in his brain wanting to burst out in a scream. He bit his tongue back,

"You could say I have Lyds, actually… there's something I wanted …to…" He was about to continue when they could hear Delia's shrill voice calling up the stairs. Lydia sighed and got up off her bed.

"I'll be right back BJ." Lydia said rolling her eyes.

---

He watched Lydia close the door behind her. Throwing himself from the mirror Beetlejuice stormed in circles.

"FUCK!"

Yelling and growling over and over, he fisted his hands, his heavy boots making solid _thuds_ on the ground.

Anger wasn't the base of it but he couldn't help but feel angry. Mad at the people who put him in his prison. Mad at her even. Yes her. Beetlejuice was through feeling sorry for himself. Acting how she wanted him to, for her to be happy. It was completely out of his nature to be nice, thoughtful, to love someone. He was selfish, dirty, a pervert to say the least, and a conman. He wanted his way with everything but was losing what he wanted most and he finally had enough. It was over.

---

Lydia bounced back in the room smiling as the door closed again.

"Sorry about that-"

"It's your fault I'm stuck here!" For everything that had happened and for all the emotions built up inside him, Beetlejuice couldn't help but scream. He just didn't care. He didn't care how loud he was being, he didn't care if he hurt anyone anymore. "I'm here because of you! It's you're fault!"

Lydia swallowed hard staring over into her mirror. Confused and nervous she asked,

"What are you talking about BJ?" Her voice cracked a little but the shakiness of her voice couldn't compare to the violent shake of her hand which she held in font of her attempting to get them to cease.

He started laughing.

---

Beetlejuice passed frantically, smiling like an insane person and laughing crazily. He was talking inwardly, convincing himself it was all her fault and it was stupid of him to ever think other wise. This was who he was. He was not going to be the only one to suffer. She would too. He had wanted that before all this ever started. For her to suffer, for all his time planning to not be a waste of time, for taking advantage of him than blowing him off, and for being the reason he was in his prison. He'd get out though. He knew he would, and soon too.

"You heard me girly! It's your fault!" He wanted her to hurt as much as he was. He would have loved to do this all long ago but was too stupid and worried about Juno and her band of mindless employees. "You might have lost your memory of me but we go long back! You had to be a little bitch and get me put in here didn't you? I tried to be nice, tried to be who you wanted me to be, but no more babes! I'll get out of here and you will pay. No more will I suffer because of you!"

He watched Lydia's eyes open wide and tears starting to slip from the corners. The fear and shock plastered on her face was a sight long loved by him. Beetlejuice gave her a toothy grin, wishing she could see him smile at her like he had done so threateningly once before.

---

"And by the way Babes, my name is not BJ!" He said sarcastically.

Lydia cupped her hands over her ears and proceeded to yell back at him, "Who are you? Go away! Leave me alone!" Her eyes scrunched shut and she fell to her knees hard. She was so confused. Guilt and nausea washed over her and her body started to rock slowly back and forth. "I don't know you!"

"Yes you do! You just don't remember me…"

The spite in his voice cut through her and shock her brain. What didn't she remember? Why did she forget? What was she to do?

Silence filled her room, he didn't say anything. Nothing made a sound. After a minute of nothing, she raised her head and opened her eyes. Tears blurred her vision and her head pounded beneath her hands, which were still holding onto each side. She sniffed loudly, her heart jumping at the sudden sound. Throat dry she swallowed and removed her hands from her ears.

"Who are you?" Her voice was small and it was too quiet to be heard, even by her. Lydia slowly pushed herself to her feet, wobbling unsteadily. She looked around her room. Her arms were wrapped around her body tightly as if to steady herself from falling.

'_What am I suppose to remember?'_ She thought to herself. _'Why can't I remember?'_

"That's a very dangerous question to be asking Miss Deetz." Lydia jumped, spinning around to see a middle aged woman with greying hair standing in front of her vanity. Her grey suit and large pears were dirty and looked much older than she did.

"Who are you?" Lydia crocked.

"Hello again to you too..." She answered, raising her eyebrows in a bored and forced business like manner.

"What do you mean?"

---

"Beetlejuice I swear to god I'll kill you!"

Beetlejuice turned sharply and glared over at Juno.

"What do you want?" He snapped.

"Beetlejuice you crossed the line again. You're arrogance has not gone unnoticed. You were put in here as a way of getting you to change. But that seems to be impossible for you. This time you are on your own. No trial, no new sentence. You have a one way ticket this time." Juno never was seen without a cigarette, but for once she threw it to the ground at her feet.

"Big fucking whoop! So now what? You leave me in here without anyone to talk to? Oooh I'm so scared." He said back viciously, bearing his teeth at her like some animal.

"No Beetlejuice… you're being exercised in the morning. The Prince passed judgment, there's no way to help you now. " She said vanishing into stream of clouds.

Beetlejuice stared, at the ground where her cigarette burned slowly. Pulling his eyes away he looked over to Lydia, there was no point in wanting to try and talk to her. Like hell he could, he thought to himself. He watched her crying; her hands cupped to her head, her small, frail body shaking violently on the floor. He had just made the biggest mistake of his afterlife.

Walking over to the mirror calmly, he rested his hands to the cold glass and whispered, "Good-bye Lydia." His eyes didn't blink as he stared in at her.

She stood up and looked like she was going to fall over. His dead heart slumped into his stomach. Beetlejuice cringed as he watched a tear roll down her cheek. He deserved to be exercised for all he had done to her, even if she didn't remember it.

"Fuck..." He breathed. The mirror slowly started to fade to black, glimpse of Lydia melting away to the blackness behind Beetlejuice and his own sad reflection.

---

"There's a lot to explain Miss Deetz, but frankly I don't have time to right now. I'm giving you a choice. I can take away your memory of this whole thing or just leave you the way you are right now."

"Who are you?" Lydia frustrated and feeling even more confused than before, she shook her head at the woman and demanded to know who she was.

"My name is Juno. We've met before. In short I was the case worker for your two friends… The Maitlands..." Juno sighed, calmly trying to explain in as little detail as possible.

"Where are they? Why don't I remember you? What is it that I have forgotten? I want to remember!" Lydia loudly cried. Her eyebrows crunched together. The dryness of her throat made it impossible to swallow. So much was happening and she didn't know if her legs would hold her up much longer. "I want to remember!" She yelled again.

"I can't do that. I can only take your memories from you. I am not certified to give them back." Juno frowned. She was wasting time and was dying for a cigarette, in a matter of speaking. Lydia just glared back at her.

"Fine then…" Juno stated tapping her ugly grey high heeled dress shoes. "You'll have to come with me then. I'm going to get in shit for this. " Lydia missed the last part which Juno had muttered under her raspy breathe.

Wrapping her thin sweater around herself and nodding Lydia took a few steps towards Juno. "Where are we going then?" Her voice cracked out hoarsely and dry.

Juno exhaled slowly, the slit in at the base of her neck flapping slightly. "We need to go to the Neitherworld, to talk to Prince Vince."

---

A/N (2): OMG it's done! Wow! Took me long enough…

So did you like it? *teehee* Vince! The Emo Prince! Fun isn't it? Review please people!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N (1): Hello again my fellow fanfic readers. I'm writing to you from class. Why? Don't really know. It seems to be the only place I can type properly! And have time… and am emotionally sound so I can write and not want to kill my computer or everyone around me. *sticks out tongue* I don't know why but my fingers have been refusing to type anything properly and it's highly annoying! It's been like this for about a month but at school, I can type so here I am writing my new chapter for your reading enjoyment. Hope to get a lot of reviews for this chapter like some of my other ones!! I like getting them! I will comment on them in my next and final chapter. OMG this is the second last chapter!!!!!!! HOLY COW! That is freaky! This has been going on for like, almost a year? Over a year! My baby is all grown up! *cries* Well if this ends I'll just have to write another one won't I? Well you tell me and if you have any suggestions for new chapters or for a fanfic, tell me in a review or e-mail! *smiles happily* though I've had my ending to this story mapped out for over a year now and I will end it how I want to! Trust me, you will all love it! Or hate it. Or freak out and start crying! Idk, I'm not you but I sure as hell love my ending! You will have to review, urging me to update the last chapter soon! And the funny thing is I'm forming a soundtrack to this thing!!! By accident mind you. I will add it to my last chapter in my author's notes for fun.

One more thing, I noticed in the movie/show the time difference from the Neitherworld and the real world. So I'm guessing hours in the Neitherworld are like a few seconds to a minute or two in the real world... that's how it is in the carton it seems. And in the movie a few seconds on Saturn is two hours in the real world. So BJ was in the waiting room for three human years. That'd make it like a hundred year at least his time or something we're guessing here. Then again he doesn't age so who cares, he will always look the same age wise.

So lets get started shall we? (Sorry for the really long author's notes…)

[Review comments at the bottom]

Disclaimer: Geez I hate these, oh well… no I don't own Beetlejuice but if anyone wants to get me a really good Christmas present then buying me the rights to the script and everything that would be a very good start. Remember that is the future! Or just get me Tim Burton!

Marry Christmas everybody! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukah! Kwanza, Winter Solstice, Yule Time and happy birthday to some of you out their! I'll be back with the new chapter in the new year, bringing this fanfic to the right age of 1 ½. (About that anyways…)

---

Chapter Thirteen: Losing Grip on Reality

Beetlejuice drop to his knees, pounding his fists to the ground. Back arched and head down he started to snarl harshly. The pained roars making him sound like a badly wounded animal. His messy hair fell forward into his face, eyes glowing a deep yellow underneath the stands of dirt covered blonde hair, a veil to mask his shame and self-pity. Emotionally and physically dead, he slowly fell back onto the cold black ground. He lifted his knees up in front of himself and laid his arms out on top. Head still lowered Beetlejuice ground his teeth together, growling away tears that he fought to keep at bay.

"Fuck…" He breathed out aggressively, choking on a singly tear which slowly slide along his cheek and into his open mouth. "God damn it…" He softly cursed again as another tear slid along his face, taking a small stream of grime with it. Beetlejuice let out a silent sigh. He didn't move. All he had was to wait for the time when he'd be called upon to be exercised.

_Exercised…_

He almost found it ironic that he'd be given an exorcism. He regretted so much but none of it would matter to him anymore. The only thing Beetlejuice wanted now was to say goodbye to Lydia and apologize for hurting her, but he'd never get to. He almost didn't care. He pushed that thought to the back of his head and let himself feel guilty and suffer for his last few hours in this realm and on earth. He was angry with himself, not Lydia. He never should have yelled and gone off on her like he had. Dwelling and replaying ever stupid and selfish thing he had done to hurt Lydia Beetlejuice slowly raised his head and whipping his face with the back of his hands. Still didn't care about anyone else, just himself…and one more person, he thought to himself.

"Cute…" The word slipped out from his lips. Juno had said he was put there to be changed. Now he was. Beetlejuice cared about someone other than himself. He just had to do something really, really stupid to notice it, and still none of that matter. He'd never see her again after tonight, never hear her laughter or see her smile. Dropping his head once more Beetlejuice let himself freeze in position to stare down at the ground from behind his hair.

He waited, not moving for hours, waiting for something to happen. He didn't know how he'd be executed but he waited passionately for it. Some how, he knew he had to accept it willingly but for the likes of him, he didn't know why.

Raising his head up once more Beetlejuice frowned crossly. It seemed selfish again and a bit stupid, but he was **not** going to accept this.

Beetlejuice stood up and frustratingly passed back and forth, waiting. If he had to go, getting a few kicked out of it would be fun before his time came. He flipped his hand and turned sharply on his heels. Now, holding a lit cigarette he continued to pass around his cell, circling the mirror. This was the first time he had used his power since he was placed in his cell. Putting the cigarette to his lips he thought to himself.

Why should he go down without a fight? How would that be any fun?

Beetlejuice smiled a twisted green smirk. Exhaling smoke and letting a small chuckle erupt around him before finally shouted loud, challenging the empty void around him,

"Over my undead body you bastards! Come get me!"

---

In a short amount of time and only a few steps forward Lydia found herself gaping at the scene she had just walked into. The dark stone walls of a castle hallway loamed around her in a menacing, if not in an over exaggerated way. The question of _where they were_, got stuck in her throat pretty fast. She knew.

Juno kept walking in front of her, keeping a swift pass and never looking over shoulder to see if Lydia was even following. Lydia picked up her feet and quickly walked after Juno. Her long skirt twisted around her legs and she had to keep picking up the front to walk faster. Barefoot and feeling out of place, Lydia wished she had grabbed something different to wear, or at least shoes. She wanted to disappear into her sweater and never come out until she was back in the safety of her home.

But intrigued by her dark surroundings Lydia kept getting lost in the fascinating ambience of the castle; its dark stone walls, chipped and cracking from age, the long red clean rug on the floor, and large torches ablaze on the walls next to large gloomy paintings. The hallways had no windows but branched off to other closed wooden doors and the odd hallways leading to bigger and fewer doors. Stepping to the side to see around Juno, Lydia saw that they were heading towards the end of the hall and another closed door; larger than the others and made of some kind of dark grey metal, not wood.

Lydia stopped abruptly behind Juno who turned to look down at her briefly. She leaned down and poked at her with her skinny dead index finger.

"Do not speak unless he asked you a question directly! Keep your head down and mind your body language! You came of your own free will and so can be punished like the rest of us in this place." Her voice was harsh and very fast. Lydia nodded. She couldn't help but imagine what kind of ghost this prince would be: as mean as BJ turned out to be or as stubbornly strict as Juno was?

Juno knocked softly on the loud door. It opened slowly and Lydia held her breath as they walked through the doorframe and into the room passed it.

Remembering what she had been told Lydia lowered her head slightly and silently followed Juno. Lydia stole a few glances about the room as she put her head down. They had come in through a side door into a large reception hall. Lydia had never been in a castle but she had seen enough old movies to have a slight idea of where she was. It was no brighter than the hallway, even though there were more high candles lining the room. The ceiling was incredibly high up and looked much too dark to see where it ended. The floor had no rug like the hallway but had shining and semi-reflective stone.

Ghosts of all shapes and sizes, dressed in the finest clothes Lydia had ever seen in her life. She felt even more out of place. They were all so colourfully dressed, but looked highly serious and miserable. She on the other hand was dressed in black from head to toe, dress very casually for her and probably looked scared to be there. Lydia caught the odd glance of someone near by every time she looked up. No reassuring smiles or nods, just hard glares and questionable expressions.

"Juno, come forward with your quest." A melancholy yet calming voice said silencing any soft whispering in the crowd. Juno walked out into the middle of the hall quickly. She bowed at the waist before rising again. Lydia froze in place, she didn't move until a guard poked her in the back for her to move. Softly scuttling out in her bare feet Lydia couldn't help but glance up at the speaker.

On a platform before them sat a young man, looking only a few years older than Lydia was. He might have looked young but his elegantly defined facial structure made him look more of a man than most boys that age. He was tall and lanky with all black royally designed clothes. His hair was black and shinning that hung in his face. His features were all well defined though his expression gave the idea that he could start to cry any minute. Drooped over the arm rest of his large black metal thrown he met her gaze and blinked a few times when he realised she was looking up into his face. Lydia lowered her head and stared back at the floor, her toes curling up in a shy manner when she stopped to stand beside Juno.

"Your highness," Juno started very politely. "This is Miss Lydia Deetz; she uh…has a request of you."

The man Juno had addressed as _highness_ slowly sat up straight, his eye brows rising. "Does she now?" He stood up slowly. Lydia still stared at the ground, unsure of what she should be doing. She could feel the heaviness of the atmosphere even without knowing what was going on.

"Well them, Miss Lydia, what is your request of me?" His voice seemed closer, much closer, as Lydia's eyes rose up just for a small look at him she saw that he was standing before her. His own eyes looking right back into hers. He stood back before softly bowed respectfully. Lydia swallowed and froze again, holding her breath.

"I... uhm…" Lydia stammered out giving Juno a quick glance. Juno was still looking straight a head and making no movement to look back at her or the man in front of Lydia.

"It is alright." The man took her pale hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles tenderly. "You do not need to answer in front of all these people." He let go of her hand and took a small step back. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Vince, ruler of the Neitherworld. You must be very confused." He snapped his fingers and two footmen rushed over beside him. "These two will escort you to one of my private studies. You may rest there until you are ready. If you need me just ask of it."

Lydia nodded softly; giving him what she hoped was a grateful smile. His eyes were sad but calming. They made her feel safe but cold at the same time. Lydia couldn't say if she was comfortable around him but he seemed to be the friendliest face in the crowd around them.

Lydia attempted a small curtsy of her own but failed awkwardly. She saw the corner of his lips side curl up slightly in on one side in, what Lydia thought, was an amused smirk.

Blushing a dull pink Lydia stood up straight again and turned to follow the two ghosts out of the room. Lydia hears soft whispers pass between Prince Vince and Juno but couldn't understand them before she heard Juno's heals click off in the opposite directing. The stares of the crowd still were making her feel uneasy. They parted to let her and the two footmen pass through without a hassle. Lydia kept her face down as she fought to conceal her pink face. From behind her she heard the Prince's charming voice call out to his guards,

"Guards if you please,"

Lydia paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder, the crowd had filled in a bit and she couldn't see anymore. Whispers bubbled up from the throng of ghosts. Lydia was once again curious to what was happening. Looking forward at the footmen she saw them pause and wait for her quietly, both standing one opposite walls with their hands folded behind their backs. She figured if they were waiting now they wouldn't mind another minutes or two.

Lydia took a step over to look around one ghost to see what was going on. Side stepping her way around everyone Lydia watched as large doors from the end of the hall opened up to let a group of armed guards enter. They looked as if they had just been fighting off some deranged monster, or maybe that's how they had dies, she thought for a second. She was about to leave when she noticed that they were dragging a man in by his upper arms. Lydia stood, paralyzed from a mixture of shock and confusion.

The man was shoved to his feet and thrown in front of the group of guards to present him to the Prince.

"Hello Beetlejuice." Vince said soft and politely.

Lydia looked the man over, wondering what had happened to him. He looks almost familiar to her but she knew she hadn't seen anyone like him before. He looked as if he was possible in his early thirties, tall, dirty and pale. His hair was blonde through what looked like layers of dirt and black muck or maybe it was blood. Thick and dripping down the side of his face. Lydia gasped as she noticed how badly beaten his body was. Dark painful bruises were visible through the ripped sleeved of his buttoned up shirt. His lip was split and dark black blood ran along his chin.

Lydia covered her mouth with her hands feeling a wave of sympathy and compassion wash over her. The man smiled up at Vince with a green tinted smile.

"Beetlejuice I see you gave my guards some trouble. You should have just come on your own free will." Vince said him shaking his head. "What a pity. Guards put him in a holding cell until morning; he's bleeding all over my floor." The guards saluted the Prince before grabbing at the man again to drag him off.

Lydia couldn't help but feel sick. And despite what Juno had told her she couldn't stand there and watch the Prince treat someone so horribly. Lydia bit down hard on her lip and scrambled over to the Prince's side.

Vince jumped a little from Lydia's sudden appearance beside him. Her small hands tightly took hold of his coat sleeve.

"Who was that? What happened to him?" Her begging eyes looked up at him. "He's hurt." Lydia's voice was smaller than normal but she didn't want everyone to hear her. Vince blinked a few times before giving her a small smile.

"That man is a criminal Miss Lydia." His voice was calm but seemed to suppress a laugh. "Why don't we go talk now instead of later?" One of his hands gently took hers from his coat and his other snaked around her waist as he went to lead her out of the room via the side door.

"You Bastard Prince!" A roar of anger bellowed throughout the reception hall, echoing off of the stone walls. Lydia jumped and snatched hold of the Prince's arm once more. The man had turned around to yell at the Prince and was now struggling to get free from the guards. He continued to growl at Vince and was lashing out to get at him.

Lydia's mind surged. His voice…

"Wait…." She breathed slowly letting go of Vince and taking a set forward. The Prince's arm shot up to stop her. Lydia looked up at him. "Who is he...? I think…"

"He's nobody Miss Lydia. You won't have to see him again." His voice was flat and blunt.

---

Beetlejuice tossed his head to the side, knocking hair from his face to see the Prince; Vince's smug smirk and his watery eyes which hid his thoughts and intentions. Beetlejuice blinked and looked at the pale figure hidden by half of Vince's body. His eyes grew wide and he fell limp to his knees staring in alarm.

His lips moved but no sound came out of them, just mouthing one word.

The guards took their chance and hit him hard in the back of the head hard enough to make him pass out. The last thing he saw before blacking out was her scared face, her hands rising to her mouth to smother a scream, and Prince Vince pulling her small body close to his side.

---

"Come Miss Lydia." Vince had turned and slowly urged Lydia to follow him. Lydia allowed him to pull her along but kept looking over her shoulder at the man being dragged away.

"Prince, what will happen to him?" Lydia asked looked up at him in worry. He just glanced down at her from the corner of his eye and smiled like nothing had happened. Lydia bit her lip again as he lead her from the reception hall and back down the long hallway.

"Please Prince tell me." She inquired again. His grip tightened slightly on her wrist.

"Please Miss Lydia call me Vince, there is no need to be so formal with me." He answered softly stopping outside a door along the hall. The two footmen opened it and stood on either side of the door. Vince pulled Lydia inside. On entering Vince let go of her waist letting her have a good around.

Lydia looked around into a sitting room. Through an open door on the other side of the room she could see the end of a bed. Ignoring it Lydia walked a few steps away from the door. The room was brighter then the hallway and the reception hall; moon light filled the room through the large open windows which took up most of the wall space on the far side of the sitting room. The furniture looked old but in a good condition. A few wooden tables, some chairs. One wall was covered from floor to ceiling with book cases, completely filled with books of all sizes and colours. The door closed behind her. Hearing the door close behind her Lydia turned to see Vince with his hands behind him and a distressing expression on his face.

Lydia looked over at him questionably "Uhmm…Vince? Are you alright?" His lips curled up and he took a few steps towards her to stand by her side. His head lowered as he walked, his black hair falling forward to cast shadows on his face.

"Oh Miss Lydia, you are very caring." He said; his voice lowered in a sad manner. "I'm sure you wish to leave soon. What is your request of me?"

Lydia thought he sounded upset over her leaving. She looked away from him. "You are very sweet to be going out of your way for this," She didn't know really how to ask him but she decided the best way was to be blunt about it. "My request… is that I wish to have my memory back." Her voice came out dry and nervous as if he'd get mad at her.

"Are you sure that's what you want? I've glimpsed into the past few months of your life. Are you sure you want to see what your past was like before I altered it?"

"You changed my past?" Lydia's head shot around to look at him. Her eyes grew wide and he body was starting to reject control. Vince looked up at her, one eyebrow raised at her sudden out burst.

"Oh no, not me, I just give the consent to the council who did." He reached out and lightly touched her arm to comfort her. "I do not know your past and what was changed. All I know is what I've been told and what has happened since it had been meddled with. It is quite sad Miss. Are you sure?"

"Please I'd like my memory back. I am so confused about everything that's going on. I wish to know."

"Of course Miss." He said walking behind her.

"Lydia." She said laughing lightly smiling over her shoulder.

"Of course, Lydia…" Lydia sighed and looked forwards again. The Prince smiled at the back of her head and took a step closer, closing the space between them, his arms came up beside her head slowly. One hand gently cradling her jaw to tilt her head up, and the other to gently press against her forehead, a small, dull purple light grew around it. Lydia eyes closed softly and she sighed.

Her body slowly collapsed back into Vince's arms. Looking down at her he sighed as well, his smile fading away.

He picked her up gently, embracing her petite body to his. Lydia's head fell to her chest as he lifted her up, her breathing was shallow and her sleep would be long.

"I will miss you Lydia…" Vince said softly to himself.

---

Lydia groaned and rolled onto her side. Opening her eyes slowly she looked around. She was still in the Prince's castle. The sitting room as visible to her from where she lay on the bed she had seen before. Her head hurt and she had to fight to keep her eyes open. Blinking a few times Lydia raised a hand to her face. She pushes the hair from her eyes. Her palm brushed over her lips which started to quiver on contact. Her eyes grew wide suddenly.

Lydia touched her lips softly with her finger tips recalling kiss after kiss that had been given to her. Given to her by the man she thought she loved. The man she still wanted to love. The man she had see not long ago and didn't recollect.

"Beetlejuice…" She breathed his name softly. All this time she had been with him and hadn't known, and now…

He was hurt and somewhere in a cell and all she wanted to do was go be with him. Apologize for everything and be near him again. She forgave him and now wanted more than anything to see him and make sure he was ok. Even for everything he had tried to do to her and how he hurt her family. She still forgave him for everything. Lydia sat up straight.

"Oh god…" She mouthed silently, her eyes beginning to water. She stared dazed for a moment before a sudden voice made her jump.

"Miss Lydia you are awake."

Vince wads standing over her. He bent down and touched her back lightly. "Lydia...?" Her knees came up to her chest as tears started to roll down her face. Vince sat down beside her on the bed. "Lydia there is no need to cry. You are in no harm here." Her head fell down, starting to cry harder; her hands moved cover her face. Vince wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him. "Lydia, do not cry. Is there anything you need? Don't cry." He continued trying to calm her down.

Lydia's body jerked, her hand shooting out to grab the front of Vince's coat. "Let him go please!" She sobbed. "Please let him go... please…"

"Let him go? Why should I?" Vince frowned. Lydia started to cry harder into his chest. Her shoulders bobbed up and down as her body shook. "Honestly Miss Lydia, what reason could you possibly have for wanting that man to go free? He's a criminal, a lowlife; you shouldn't pay him any mind."

Lydia let go of his coat. She pushed out of his hold and stared at him in anger. "Don't say that! I know he…can be mean…and rude…and selfish and hurtful…but please, let him go. He's no really a bad guy… He's not."

He got off the bed slowly and glared down at Lydia. Thoughts of her apparent desperation and caring nature distracted him. "You confuse me miss. But I'm sorry. I will not let him go." He turned quickly to leave but was stopped by two tight hands which reached out to take hold of his forearm.

"Please…" Vince turned his head to look back at Lydia. Her voice and plea once again intriguing him and yet he did not knowing why. She looked up at him, her eyes blood shot and filled with tears, her makeup streaked and smeared around the sides of her face. Vince glanced over her; he still fought with his inner thoughts to focus on what it was she was saying.

"I hurt him…" She said softly. "I hurt him and I feel so horrible for it…I want to make sure he's ok. I can't let him go like this. Please let him go. He has to know that I don't hate him."

Vince's sad eyes hardened and found no more joy in seeing her upset. "You asked your request of me. It's time for you to leave." He jerked out of her grip and walked out on her. Lydia jumped up clumsily and ran for the door after him.

"Please, your highness." She said loudly. Lydia choked back her tears and forced herself to stand up straight again.

"Highness?" Vince said looking back at her, a pained look crossing his face. "I never thought that appropriate. Lowness is more suitable." His eyes clouded over and his lips fell from a hardened line to that of a sad pout. Lydia blinked a few times before taking a few steps towards him. She fiddles with the shoulder of her sweater a little before folding her hands in front of her.

She swallowed softly and looked down at the floor. "Please your...Lowness? You don't really understand. I…" Lydia bit down on her lip hard as she pushed hair from her face nervously. "I love Beetlejuice…"

Vince tore his gaze from her, his breathing growing faster and his expression hardening to a furious look. "Love him?" He scoffed. "That no good bastard? How could anyone love such a worthless thing? Leave now!"

Reaching for her, Vince latched onto her wrist and started pulling her towards the door. He swung her around, letting go of as she fell over into the wall. "GO!" He yelled at her and pointed towards the closed door, urging her to leave. "Get out of my sight!"

"Please… Prince Vince I'll do anything!" She begged him again.

"What could you possible do for me?" He asked turning away again.

"Anything you want. Just let him go." Lydia said again. "Please Prince…"

Vince exhaled slowly, forcing himself to look back down at her. He couldn't help but look her over, wondering why she fascinated him so. Her supple eyes showed such life. Her pale skin was warm and glowed in the soft light of the moon. Black sweet smelling hair, a petite and thin body veiled in more black. Vince's hand seemed to twitch, his fingers tightening up before relaxing again. Vince stepped towards her, his glare no longer existent, only a kind and sad expression of guilt showing on his face.

"Maybe there is something you can do for me. I'm quit sure we can arrange a compromise." Vince gave Lydia a slight smile but not a happy one. It was a greedy small grin which made her skin crawl. Vince came closer, his eyes burning into Lydia's flesh.

"I will go order my guards to hold Beetlejuice for the time being until we have come to an arrangement, my darling." He said as he strode passed her towards the door, his fingers rising to lightly run along her jaw line.

---

A/N (2): OOOOOOH! *laughs* Jill, or anyone else who has ever watched Pride and Prejudice, notice the "Darcy arousal" there?? HAHA! "Hand twitch" lol.

Ok people. Review this time! No reviews no chapter for a really long time! There's only one chapter left. Read, review and it won't end unhappily! Really I will give it a twist so everyone ends up being screwed over and make you all hate this. Or I could make it end nicely and make everyone happy. So review please!

Ok, two other things to bring to your attention:

First of all, does that fact that I reordered time; go me being the Goblin King (Labyrinth fun here), once again make Lydia a virgin?? It does to me. What do you think? So if BJ was removed, is she a virgin again? And Vince doesn't know she has sexy with Beetlejuice. So hmmm ideas!

And secondly, how should this end? I'm giving you a chance to tell me! So tell me! Who should live? Who should die? How many more movie references can I shove into a chapter? Hahahaha

Review Comments:

**Jade:** even though you didn't review this, you did tell me you liked it. So thank you very much. Hope you get your Christmas present soon! Talk to you soon Baby! *kisses*

**Becky:** hey beck-beck or should we say Imora-Thea-Mi-Savur. Good to see you got an account finally. You're x-men fanfic so far is great! Update soon! Thanks for reviewing! *high fives*

**LilithBlack333****:** Well here's more. Sorry for ending with a cliff hanger again!! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Yaoiholic28:** YAY for the Emo prince!!! Nice song there. *giggles* well here is a very obvious plot twist! Hope you enjoy it still!! I need help with how to end this story so please review again.

**Siamese2005:** Sorry for the cliff hanger. Here's another one for you to freak out over! Review again please. Thanks. *smiles*

**WithoutHesitation:** YAY go crazy! Scream and dance! Here is my new chapter! I hope you love it and have close to the same reaction as the last one! Review again please!!!

**wolfinstine3d: **mmm I will consider your suggestion. I most likely will at some point. *smiles* Thank you for the review. And really I was right? She was 14 in the movie? Wow. All I know is that in the last season of the cartoon she was like 14 so I was just guessing. *smiles happily*

**Everyone else that had reviewed in the past:** **Dudes! Come back to me! Review please???? i miss you all so much.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: (sniffle, sniffle, cries) ok since I was too "heartbroken" to end this story in this chapter, I've giving you all what you want and broken it up into two parts.

Oh and I was so bored that I figured some things out. A) BJ's dead, so all the blood in his body would be clotted and kind of solid wouldn't it? Still black and flows out in clumps or something right? B) How exactly did BJ commit suicide? It was suicide people, watch the movie! Juno's suicide was obvious. We'll say he drowned himself in a swamp or somethin' like that, seems plausible to me. C) For everyone who wants to understand Prince Vince's sudden obsession over Lydia, read on. It's indirectly explained. D) And is it just me or does my ending need more violence? Obviously I don't want to be typical fluff even though I love fluff. E) Why did I give Beetlejuice my insults?!?!? I use them! No bad! …mmm…my brain hurts!

Anyways, I feel so bad for not writing this sooner. But I've been busy and highly occupied, believe me. Sadly it's not all too good either… But I pretty well had free classes this week and I promise I will _start_ the next chapter right after I get home from my vacation! I'll be home on the 22nd of March. I promise I will start the last chapter then! I swear!

Ok, no more talking, long chapter ahead. READ AND COMMENT! Please…

---

_The door closed and the moment it did, Lydia crumbled to the floor in front of it. Her eyes went wide, her mouth fell open and her small chest trembled with every breath. Unable to comprehend what had just happened Lydia shook her head lightly, wiping away make up from her cheeks with the palm of her hand. _

"_Oh Beetlejuice… what have I gotten myself into?" Lydia said softly as tears of fear started to fall from the corner of her eyes. The worse of what could happen was already manifesting in her mind. She had agreed to do anything and she meant it, but how far was anything? What did it include? And when would it all end?_

_More than a few hopeless thoughts of what could happen flooded her mind: death, pain, never again seeing home or her parents. Lydia knew she couldn't bear to hurt anyone. Couldn't stand to see the man she loved be put to death when she could possibly save him… but how much more would she hurt him by trying to free him? Lydia wanted to scream out his name two more times to see if he would come to her, but she couldn't speak._

---

Final: Part ONE

Chapter Fourteen: Primal Scream

---

_Clunk_

Quickly making his way along the narrow corridor Vince smiled to himself. An inward grin meant to proclaim his authority over all those around him. Back straight and nose up in the air Vince almost wanted to chuckle. Power was one thing he had plenty of and he refused to let any of it slip. He was power hungry; over the Neitherworld, over the dead in it and over the girl currently residing in him home.

_Clunk_

Vince's fancy black shoes made an echoing clunk as he strode into his prison; a large detention center built under the castle it's self. Where the filth and the rot of the Neitherworld live out an eternity behind bars, hundreds of ghosts, locked away from the light, unable to harm or cause trouble for the rest of the undead.

And cells, stories high would house the one man that Vince was almost scared would somehow take away his rule. Take away a certain level of power. That would corrupt his entire kingdom.

_Clunk_

From the walls shouts of angry threats and profanities came from aggressive spirits. Their built-in cells, impossible to reach without the power of flight, reached high above. Built into the cold black stone walls, no ledges or ladders for them to escape onto; for each prisoner had no power here. Once condemned to this prison all ghosts were striped of all powers and ties to the outside.

Far down the rows of cells and high above, ten stories up, was Beetlejuice. Hurt, still slowly bleeding, and slumped back against the far wall of his cell, he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Hello Beetlejuice. My, my... it really is refreshing to see you here again."

Beetlejuice slowly lifted his eyes up at the thick bars that held him in. Beyond the small slits between them he saw the Prince giving him an almost pitiful look, his arms crossed and floating above the ground, Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken this was the cell you were held in for a few nights when you got to restless in the waiting room." Vince said looking around the dark and empty cell. "But then again, you never were good at behaving yourself were you?"

Beetlejuice grunted. His top lip twitching as he faked an amused grin.

"Oh Beetlejuice I came all this way to tell you the good news and you can't even pretend to be happy?" Vince mocked him happily and shook his hair from his face before smiling once more. Beetlejuice turned away. "You're being let go tomorrow." Eyes snapping wide, his jaw went slack in a baffled manner.

"I thought that might get your attention."

"What's the catch you prick?" Beetlejuice shot out cutting him off. Slowly his head rose to glare up at the Prince. Vince would never help him out for free. Beetlejuice started to grind his teeth together, the inside of his mouth becoming chewed up from his teeth gnawing at his gum. Vince's smirk became sinful. His black eyes were hard as stone and Beetlejuice could feel the obvious deal waiting to be spoken. Vince slowly leaned towards the bars, but not my much, his head nodding forward so he looked in on Beetlejuice from behind a fringe of black hair.

"Lydia." He breathed softly.

As the Prince gently whispers of Lydia's name something inside Beetlejuice snapped in two. Clenching his teeth tightly and throwing him self forward Beetlejuice let out a snarl which echoed loudly through the prison. He grabbed at the bars, tinny beads of thick clotted blood dripped from his injured knuckles. Baring his teeth like a dog Beetlejuice frowned at Vince hard and barked.

"If you ever lay another hand on her I will rip you to shreds!" He threatened hysterically, eyes squinting and his teeth display is a fixed clench. "I promise you, you fucking stuck up goob, I will break every bone in your body if you ever go near her again!"

"Oh Beetlejuice, don't be so overdramatic." Vince said chuckling, shaking his head humorously. "She is the one that has convinced me to let you go. She was the one who tempted me into negotiating your release. She is well and shall remain that way." Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow as his grip loosened on the cool metal bars. "She has asked me to let you go free and I have agreed."

"Still…what's the catch? I never get into trouble? Never torment your fucking world for laughs? Get a pat on the head and pushed out the door? What the fuck is it?"

"Oh no Beetlejuice, you're not listening. As I said before, Lydia **is** the catch." Vince frowned pretentiously at his opponent. "She had to beg and bribe me for your freedom. Would you think I'd let you go for just anything? I am only holding up my part of the agreement. I still don't have a bloody clue why, but Miss Lydia would do anything for you." He lowered his voice to a smooth mutter. "She has sworn to never see you again and you shall do the same."

"Bastard! I'll-"

"YOU'LL DO NOTHING and WILL be content! After you are released, if you ever come anywhere close to my castle you and your precious human will both pay for it! …I'm sure you would agree with me… when I say it'd be a shame for anything bad to befall upon her."

Beetlejuice hissed sharply. "No threat is going to stop me from getting to her, OR YOU! You slimy pampered brat!"

Vince tossed his hair before starting to fiddle with the cuff of his jacket, completely ignoring the threat that had been fired at him. "I'll give you some credit here Beetlejuice. You're hatred towards me is quite entertaining. But the girl has already agreed to never seeing you again. Why don't you save yourself anymore of this childish drama and just play the cards you've been dealt."

Beetlejuice howled at the decibel of a banshee. His hands shot out through the bars, scratching at the air in front of Vince's face.

Vince shook his head in a mock disapproval. "It would be in the best interest of MY Lydia if you would just do as you are told."

---

Her tears had dried up. Standing silently her eyes burned from crying so much. A headache was painfully playing percussion in the back of her head. It had been at least an hour since Vince had left Lydia alone in this room. She dared not leave. Lydia stood by the window, leaning against the wall for solid support.

The sky was beginning to lighten. The dawn would soon break across the sky, chasing the dark of the night away, but no amount of warm sun would manage to melt the dark ice coating her body. She felt dead, more lifeless than she had ever felt, but still takingin air, heart still beating and warmth still radiating from her body. Lydia would feel dead for as long as she would stay here. Nothing was final until the Prince returned. Not that his appearance would change anything. Lydia knew she would reside forever. She would die here and here, in the Neitherworld, she would stay for an eternity with the good Prince.

Lydia whipped away the last of her makeup with her fingertips.

There would be no more tears.

Breathing in slowly she whispered out to the emptiness of the room.

"Goodbye… Beetlejuice…

"Take care of your self…"

---

"Cheer up Beetlejuice. I will take very good care of her." Vince said, once again laughing at Beetlejuice's pain.

Beetlejuice lowered his head and held the bars of his cell for support tightly. He forced himself to stand, refused to give in to Vince. He didn't blink, didn't breath; only stared down at the empty air underneath Vince's feet.

"She'll never want you." Beetlejuice spat through his teeth.

"Lydia will grow to want me." Vince assured him. "Why wouldn't she? It won't take long for her warm up to me. She already seems so trust worthy of me; so comfortable in my presence. Soon she will desire me far more than you. Lydia will forget you were ever in her life. Goodbye Beetlejuice, keep in mind my warning. Lydia may come to be my queen but I am not afraid to hurt you both if you break my rules again. So, I would suggest you not give me reason to hurt her."

---

Lydia's stomach was in knots. Nothing could stop the overwhelming nausea that took over her body. Head still pounding to the beat of her heart, she couldn't stop from feeling dizzy. Contrary to the burning heat in her chest, her entire body felt ice cold. She took a quick intake of musty air and held it.

The door behind her burst open, making a loud _crack_ as it hit the wall heavily. The sudden eruption of noise caused her to turn too fast, her ill feeling body taking her motor skills through a loop. She fell over onto her side. Soft foot steps proceeded to move up behind her. Lydia closed her eyes trying to focus more on the pain shooting through her hip where she had landed and less on the black shoes walking towards her.

A pair of cold arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back up to her feet. She fell into the eager embrace of the wrong man. Opening her eyes Lydia looked up at none other than the Prince smiling gently down at her. In the light his face looked much lighter. His smile was calming again and his dark eyes were warm. But, it was still wrong. Lydia lowered her eyes away from his. Handsome as he was, Lydia would not forget his schizophrenic mood swings. She could handle Beetlejuice's because they were more preventable and often noticeable with change, but not the Prince's.

"I have released him for you Lydia dear." The Prince's voice said above her. Lydia couldn't help but hear a triumphant gloat hidden in the way he had just spoken. Biting her lip softly Lydia sighed quietly. He had said something else, or asked something but Lydia was no longer paying attention. His voice was blocked out of her head. She didn't want to hear him.

"…What?" She squeaked worriedly of what her answer may be.

Vince raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "I asked, if you had been waiting here this whole time for me."

Lydia shivered suddenly as if a spasm washed down her spine. She looked up at him and was met with another smile from the man holding her tightly. Her eyes blinked and gave him a dazed look. Vince looked down at her sweetly, his face slightly forming a blush.

"It's alright now Lydia, he's gone now." Vince said reassuringly. Lydia's eyes widened as she nervously tried to back out of his hold, but was denied. In disbelief she attempted an argument, however, only stammers and squeaks left her throat. Vince lowered his head down to hers. "Calm yourself my dear. Nothing will hurt you anymore. I am here to take good care of you."

"I don't understand." Lydia said letting hysterics take control. Again she tried to jerk away from the Prince.

"My poor fragile flower, do not act so upset." Vince tightened his arms around her slowly. "You are a perfect beauty. You deserve the title royalty. Be calm now and stay here with me."

"I don't want to be your anything!" Lydia blurted.

Vince was no longer listening, only tightly pressing Lydia's thin body to his. "You would make me king." He chuckled slightly. His snobbish arrogance made Lydia feel even sicker. She blinked, looking up at him curiously.

"Lydia," Vince continued. "You are such an innocent young lady. You deserve much better than a swamp slug like Beetlejuice. A pure angel like you needs to be looked after, needs protection that only I can give. Would you not pick a Prince over an abusive and immoral man?"

Lydia stayed silent. Her lip quivered as once more she wanted to sob but tears refuse to fall, only sting the back of her eyes.

"Lydia, why do you hesitate? What is there to decide; to even think over?" Vince enquired, roughly turning her face up to his. His fingers pressed into her jaw strongly to keep her from looking else where. "He hurt you, caused you so much pain. I would not hurt you like he has. How could you even think of him now?"

"He's not what you think!" Lydia finally shot back at him, finally taking enough of his bullshit.

Vince dropped her face and stepped back from her. His eyes narrowed before he cleared his throat. "This is for the best Miss Lydia. You will marry me tomorrow. And the second you are mine you will never see him again! Just be happy that he is still standing. A lady such as yourself, or as you shall become, does not show anger like this, especially not towards her king!" His angry frown softened quickly to that of a gently stun.

He came close to her, hand rising next to her check. Lydia's eyes scrunched shut as if waiting to be struck. Vince pouted sadly.

"I will miss the warmth of your skin…" He said. The tips of his fingers lightly brushed over her skin. Lydia opened largely. They shimmered with unshed tears.

He turned to go, once again slamming the door as he left.

Lydia sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes. She was tired and hungry but didn't want sleep, didn't want food. Lydia sluggishly tiptoed over to the bed in the next room, her bare feet slightly sticking to the cold floor. She was scared to make a sound. Scared he'd come back in. She steadily climbed onto the bed.

Bit by bit her eyes drifted shut. Lydia lay back, her feet curling up under her. Sleep eventually claimed her body. Exhaustion and fear pulled her down into a deep sleep.

---

As promised Beetlejuice was released that morning.

Being thrown out the gates harshly he hit the dirt road face first. Beetlejuice pushed his upper body up, spitting out bits of gravel and dirt. Once outside the gates of the Prince's castle he stood up slowly and started to brush dust from his clothes. His clothes were more of a mess than normal but he didn't care to fix them. His sore body quickly felt better and the cuts he had received gradually began to heal over. He scratched at his neck, flakes of grime dropping onto the collar of his shirt. Taking a deep breath he gazed back at the castle. The guards still stood at the gate, armed, waiting for him to try something.

Beetlejuice gave the castle one last look before turning away. Head hung low to his chest and hands shoved deep into his pockets he walked down the long road towards town.

'_Maybe I'll clean up first…'_ He thought remembering his badly ripped clothes. At the age they were he wondered how they were still holding them selves together. Beetlejuice rolled his eyes lazily before snapping his fingers. A lit cigarette hanging from his lips Beetlejuice kept walking slowly. He thought about going back home for a change of clothes before making an appearance in town. He had a certain image to maintain. He was gross, yes. He was dirty, yes. He was indeed many things, but a ripped up sloth he was not.

Taking a long drag from his cigarette Beetlejuice chose home first. With a sigh of grief and pain he vanished into a small whirlwind of dust and smoke.

Back at his messy labyrinth of a home Beetlejuice grunted as he fell back onto his soil coated sofa in his front room. He'd changed from his old clothes into a pink button up shirt and loose black tie, his pants a copy of his regular pair, only cleaner. He threw his feet up onto an uneven coffee table and slumped down into the dirty upholstery.

Beetlejuice rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. He had been seen only four walls and black for what seems like forever. The last place he needed or wanted to be was inside. Dropping his feet to the floor with a _thud_ he stood up straight. He frowned at the front door before moving towards it.

"I need some air." Beetlejuice mumbled and lowered his head.

Needing to think or rather forget. Beetlejuice left his home once more and started down the road in at angry pace. His strides were fast and heavy. The black work boots made the gravel shake as he stepped. Memories stung the back of his mind. Eyes burning with unseen fury. Suppressed hatred for the Prince bubbled up through his body hazardously.

Lydia had gotten him out of being exercised. She had done that for him after everything?

She… remembered?

Beetlejuice lifted his head to the sky and squinted into the sun. Did she remember him? If she did why would she set him free like this? If she did remember him…

He closed his eyes tightly and ground his teeth together angrily. '_How could she willingly stay with an asshole like the prince?'_ Beetlejuice thought to himself. He knew how horribly he treated her himself but the Prince was more powerful and could hurt her severely. Opening his eyes, their soft glow lighting up the dark circles on his face, he moaned loudly.

"Fuck him…" He breathed out.

---

Vince smiled at his reflection. It was a pleased grin, beaming with pride and delight. He straightened the front of his new coat and started to smooth out the wrinkles along the shoulders. In the full length mirror before him, he ignored the image of the plump tailor hemming his pant cuff.

Giving himself one last self satisfied smile in the mirror he snapped his fingers lazily. The mirror image of the Prince dripped away to show his bride innocently slumbering. Lydia shifted in her sleep, legs stretching out and rolling onto her side.

"Is she not the most beautiful angel ever created?" Vince mused aloud, his eyes glazing over with a pleasant softness. The tailor didn't look up knowing the question was not directed at him. Vince signed in a childish dream state as we watched Lydia silently sleep. Her black hair fell out of her face when she had rolled over. The clean pale flesh of her neck and cheeks shining in the sun light that filled the room. "She is radiant." He breathed to him self once more.

"Your Highness?" A voice meekly said behind him. Vince spun around to glare at one of his servants intruding on his fantasies. The picture of Lydia on his mirror changed back to a normal reflection.

"What is it?" Vince bellowed angrily. His face scrunching into a scowl "What do you want?"

"Y-you wanted to be informed the minute…that….that Beetlejuice was removed from the-the premises." The servant stammered out. Vince's expression softened significantly.

"Thank you." He said politely. The servant swallowed hard, worried about the Prince's spontaneous mood swings. "You may go now." Vince waved him from the room before turning back around to see his reflection looking back at him again. His lip curled up on one side into a bitter smirk.

"I never want that filth around my angel again." He stated proudly. "Tailor, you may go. Thank you."

The tailor got up off the floor, bowed then left in a respectful hurry.

Vince pushed his hair back from his face. His smile now gone and his eyes a watery mess of emotion. Letting his hands drop to his sides he snapped his fingers lightly, the mirror switching back to view a dozing Lydia.

"Oh my dear…" Vince whispered softly to her figure. "Do not fear me or anything any more. Nothing is going to get to you ever again. Nothing is going to touch you while I'm around." Walking forward to the mirror Vince gave her a wary look. "This is for your own good. It is what you truly deserve. You will thank me for this some day."

He pondered whether or not it was a good idea to look into her mind to see what he was so worried about. He was unsure of her and of her character. He was unsure what she would do, unsure if she was trustworthy or not, unsure if she was pure and his alone.

Vince cursed himself for thinking like he was. Of course she was all of those things. She was so sweet and caring and gave off such an aura of pure angelic innocents. He would not break any of those things. He would not break her. Just take her. Take and keep. She would die as innocent as he saw her now. That way she would be like this forever, no matter how many times he took her for himself.

Vince placed both of his hands on the mirror frame and swallowed hard. His eyes watched her breathing. The hypnotic and calming raise and fall of her small breasts. Vince licks his lips slowly watching her body. Silently laid out on her side, her skirt lifted up enough to give him a good view of her calves. Hair hung in strands around her head. Lips slightly parted and a rosy pink. Vince's hands tightened on the frame of the mirror.

"This is going to be a long day…" He groaned huskily.

---

Beetlejuice stared at the ground where his feet fell with ever new step. The ghost around him hurriedly tumbled over one another to get out of his way as he walked down the street. He looked up only a few times as he went, to glare at someone or to see where he was going.

An odd occurrence happened when a very small person found their way into Beetlejuice's peripheral vision. It was a small child, a boy of barely ten-years-old. He was dressed very formally and had arms full of papers. The little boy looked around in distress before he turned to see Beetlejuice. Running up to him obliviously he jumped up and down in a panic.

"Excuse me sir. Sir? Sir, can you give me directions?" The boy asked in a desperate tone. Beetlejuice raised an eye brow before starting to walk past him but the boy bound around to face him again asking the same questions once more.

"If it'll make you get the hell out of my way then fine." Beetlejuice finally said in frustration after hearing the boy repeat himself for a third time.

"What way to the castle? I'm lost and I need to deliver these." The kid answered thrusting the papers at Beetlejuice to explain his problem. Beetlejuice glimpsed down at the papers before hesitantly asking,

"And what are those?" and gesturing a finger at the papers.

"They are documents on marriage. I don't know much about it. Haven't looked. They're for the Prince and his bride. Please sir, what way is it to the castle?" The boy asked again to get the directions he needed. "Sir? Sir, it's important."

Beetlejuice stared down at the papers in the child's hands. His tongue was stuck as well as his eyes. Even the annoying child's voice ringing voice was blocked from his ears.

A young woman joined the two and bent down to the child's height. His head shot up to look at Beetlejuice. He only saw her lips move, maybe a quick apology or a small begging for forgiveness for bothering him. When he said nothing still they began to scurry off in the opposite way he had been heading.

"HOLD IT!" He said firmly, his hand grabbing onto the woman's shoulder. She turned to him and stayed silent.

"What marriage? WHEN?" He commanded her to tell him.

"Tomorrow…The-the Prince is…" The woman started to tremble.

"TO WHO?"

"I don't know! Please let me go…"

"Go…" He breathed glaring at her. "Get lost!" The two ran off up the road as fast as they could. Beetlejuice watched them leave, other ghosts slowly filling their tracks as they crossed the street to avoid _him_.

His hands clenched tightly at his sides. A low snarl gurgled up out of his chest as he started in the direction of the castle. His eyes lifted to the sky, the reddening sky making him scowl.

"She's mine you bastard…" Beetlejuice growled inside his head. His breathing became rougher, more forced.

"You won't lay another hand on her as long as I still can walk."

---

The sky darkening quickly Vince slowly moved away from the window and over to the doorway. His smug smirk was threatening, yet proud in intent. Vince stood just feet away from a still sleeping and unmoved Lydia. She had slept all day and looked like she would sleep a little longer before she woke. Vince leaned on the door frame, his elbow propping his head up. His black eyes wandered over her back and legs. Her back was to him and he almost found it upsetting, but he counted his blessing that she was still here with him.

Moving away from the door and into the room, silent and slow he made his way around the foot of the bed to face her. Lydia signed quietly in her sleep, the quiet noise made Vince's heart jump from his chest. He quietly stood next to the bed, head turned down to look at the sleeping girl on the bed. He wanted to hold her while she slept but better judgement stopped him. Absentmindedly his knees came to rest on the bed and he leaned forward over her body. One hand supporting him, the other reached out but stopped short from touching her. It hovered over her hair. Vince's eyes slid almost close, a strange lust heating his cold dead body.

His hand waded lower over her, traveling merely inches over her flesh and clothes. It started from her head, to her neck, over shoulder and came to a halt a hair length away from landing on her hip. Vince's breathing grew louder, nostrils flaring when he inhaled.

"Oh Lydia…" It came as a moan he never intended.

"Bee…" She breathed in her sleep, shifting slightly and bumping his hand with her hip.

His eyes snapped open as he retreated from the bed. Looking back at Lydia and frowned. His fingers flexed but refuse to curl up. Furious he fled from the room and towards his own far down the hall. Vince swore to himself he'd never hear a single syllable of that name would again leave her angelic lips.

---

The sun set barely minutes before Beetlejuice found himself once again at the castle's gates. Doubting that he had made the right choice to come he rocked on his heels scanning for a way in. It wasn't heavily guarded because no one in the Neitherworld would dare do what he had in mind.

"Screw this." He signed pushing off the ground. Hovering for a moment Beetlejuice looked anyone who would see him. He saw no one but a few mindless guards on the other side of the gate. He huffed to him self before becoming clear. He crossed over the gate and still found his powers active. Smiling he mumbled out load,

"Too easy ya losers!"

---

He had floated by practically every window looking inside for his girl. Thinking if he was lucky it'd be the fastest way, but luck didn't seem to be on his side tonight. Most of the rooms were too dark and he only could risk a brief glimpse inside.

_Go inside, not go inside…_His mind fought back and forth trying to figure out a new tactic. Beetlejuice sighed and rubbed his eyes. And after gaining a little more height to start on the next level of the castle he felt that his luck was turning around. It was only a feeling but still a feeling. Almost as if someone had said his name…or rather part of it.

He pulled himself together enough to think that it was nothing at all but soon found himself out side the window of a poorly lit room. It had little furniture and seemed to just be a sitting room. On his left was a door way to yet another area, but it was too dark from his angle. Beetlejuice slid silently through the glass and glided over to the doorway. He did not land, did not risk anyone hearing the clack of his shoes on the hard floor.

Though he almost lost control over his flight when he got to the door. Hesitant though eager he slowly lowered himself to the floor and took the two wide steps over to the bed. Sitting onto it Beetlejuice took a long hard look down into the face of the person sleeping on it. His eyes shifted to the other side of the bed where no one lay. The sheets were imprinted and inhaling he could practically smell Vince's presents.

Turning back to the sleeper next to him, Beetlejuice gently tilted their head so face him. He found Lydia's face, eyes closed and lips parted. She looked so tempting. Beetlejuice lowered his head down to hers, his lips softly caressing her own. A small whimper left her throat causing Beetlejuice to pull back. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her body close to his. "Wake up Babes." He cooed gently. "Wake up, it's me. You remember me right?" He dropped another kiss onto her soft lips.

She stiffened against him. Her eyes shot open and tried to push back from her unknown visitor. The room was dark and it took a minute and a reassuring voice to bring her back to a calm state. "Come on Lyds. It's me."

"B-?" Lydia started to say his name but Beetlejuice placed a kiss onto her before she could.

"Not here Babes." He moaned against her lips. When they pulled apart she nodded. "I don't think it'd be a good idea."

Now adjusted to the dim lights, a happy smile crossed Lydia's face. Her excited hands shot out and she clung to Beetlejuice tightly. Beetlejuice returned her excitement and held her to him.

"I'm so sorry…" She whimpered desperately, voice cracking as she started to cry. "I'm sorry… Please don't hate me. I didn't want to forget you! I never meant to hurt you…Please forgive me…"

"Shhh…" He soothed and stroked her hair. "I do. Shhh... I won't leave you again. He won't get to you I promise. I forgive you of course I do. Calm down. It's ok now." Beetlejuice wasn't used to comforting others; he couldn't remember the last time he actually had. "Come on now Lyds."

Lydia pushed her self up to look at him. His hand brushed over her cheek and cupped her face softly.

"It'll be ok. I'm here now." He whispered. She smiled and his heart swelled.

"Thank you." Lydia said before giving him a gentle peck. As she pulled away from him again Beetlejuice pulled her back in. He kissed her gently but soon became greedier for her attention. He held her tightly in his arms, her hands trapped between her and his chest. He caressed her lips with his own, almost demanding her to respond back. She did. She kissed him back deeply; a small squeak escaped her mouth. The sounds pleased Beetlejuice highly and he grinned into his kiss.

Lydia's face heated into a deep blush and she kissed him back. Her hands started to wander up from his chest to wrap around his neck. Inviting her eagerness to his affection, Beetlejuice leaned her back onto the bed, his body moving on top of hers in a sexual manner.

Bodies pressing close together, limbs clutching each other, Beetlejuice kissed along Lydia's neck. He wanted to erase Vince's past presents from this room and his finger prints from her body. A dull anger washed over him, unconsciously his hands tightened on Lydia's back, nails biting into her skin. Lydia did not find pain or fear from this; instead she leaned up closer into his body and moaned softly. Her own hands smoothing back over his shoulders to grab impatiently at the collar of his shirt.

Beetlejuice growled into the flesh of her neck, more than a little aroused by her actions. Slowly they started to push away each article of clothing which were keeping them from completely touching. Despite their location and the consequences that awaits them if caught, their heated passion made them forget all of that.

Beetlejuice dropped kiss after kiss over Lydia's body. Slow, long kisses which caused Lydia to shiver and jerk underneath him. Each article of clothing fell to the floor gradually until they lay, clinging together other.

"I've missed you Lyds." He whispered before going to kiss her lips. She returned his kiss.

"I missed you too." Lydia replied. Beetlejuice wrapped her legs around her waist, his fingertips crawling over her thigh to come and rest on her hip and lower back.

"Be mine." It wasn't a beg or a command. Beetlejuice's voice was masked in an emotion completely new to Lydia's ears. Still, she gave him her reply by softly planting a small kiss on the underside of his chin. Excepting her answer he kissed her once more before slowly pushing into her.

Their hips ground together. Muffled moans escaped the claim their mouth's had on skin and lips. The two started to pant almost in unison. Lydia's whimpers grew gradually louder as the tight pressure in her lower abdomen increased. Her hands fell from Beetlejuice. She arched against him and wanted to scream but his lips once again crashed down upon hers and stifled her scream into a groan. Beetlejuice grunted, pushing into her once more before becoming ridged and slack.

Lowering himself next to her he pulled her to his chest tightly.

"I'm not leaving again." He whispered into her hair after a long moment of nothing. Lydia clung to his body and signed.

"I love you Beetlejuice." Her voice was too small for even her to hear.

---

A/N: o_O …yeah… I know. Lolz

To Becky: you can't be sad now because I left the ending alone and didn't change it like I wanted. Now be happy!

Anywho, stay tuned for the later chapter, coming… I don't know yet, but soon!

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Comment Feedback:

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**Jade**: thank you for reading my Lord. See you soon. (Or you can tell me in person. Depending on when you are reading this to start with) I hope you have a comment for me again. And I hope it's an ok-good one. I love you Jade!

**Becky** **(**Imora-Thea-Mi-Savur**)**: DUDE!! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW??? It's up! Jeez. Just kidding, see you soon!!!

**WithoutHesitation**: Still love Vince? Well I guess it's hard to hate him even if I did make him a little creepy. Hope I didn't mess him up too much for your liking or anything. And I hope this explained enough for all of us to understand his weirdness from my last chapter. Enjoy reading my last one coming up.

**Yaoiholic28**: Heehee, yes I know I'm evil. Hope you liked this chapter as much as the last!!! *excited to hear back* and dying? Mwahaha you will have to wait and see!

**Roolsilver**: Close and rolling. I'll try to finish the next one quickly. Thanks for reading!

**Someonethatlovesthisstory**: It's up! No more crying. Lolz. Your wait is over so please review again! And I really did try to keep their personalities the same. I just changed Vince around cuz his emo-ness was pissing the hell out of me. (Glares) Hope BJ wasn't emo again in this too much, tried not to do that. You find Vince sexy still??? And it's your favourites, really? Lolz, I like orange juice too.

**Unknown**: thank you for reading! And I'm pretty sure I keep saying to leave me spelling out of this but I can't blame you for bringing it up. Always bugs me too. It bugs me when I see it in my own writing.

**Lover not a Fighter**: welcome back, here's more for you. Review again please!

**Cybernetic Mango**: well, I reviewed. You need to keep up your end of the bargain and review!

**Jananesane**: Sorry it took so long. Review again soon!

**TC Stark**: Thank you for that. And yeah, here ya go. More! Review back please.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

1A/N: End…end… end? END? Nope, sounds sad no matter how many times I say it. Hope you all enjoyed the ride with me through this weird writing spree we call fanfic writing.

I must desperately apologize for how long this took. I know I promised to work on it quickly and I did start this pretty well right after finishing the last chapter…but well, it's a long story. Mostly involving cry and avoiding computers, by me of course. So, I am sorry and I hope we can all enjoy this chapter as my last. I put a lot of love and pain into this so enjoy it! Please!!!!

And if anyone was wondering why it took so long I did put that note up on my profile. And for those who don't read those, I was dumped, plane and simple. Though it's not that simple, again, it's a long story. Never mind.

And lastly, I am working on two other fanfics and half of a novel…sorta. Both one-shots and should be expected up on here around summer time, which I keep forgetting is like next week…. Ok maybe longer, like in August. Also I have idea for others but haven't started them. Story states for these are on my profile as well. Go check.

Please Read and Review my final chapter! God why is this the end?

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Final: Part Two

Chapter Fifteen: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Paranoid

---

Vince had been lying on his back and staring at the ceiling for at least two hours now. He had tossed his coat to the floor a while back. Now, resting in only his trousers and dress shoes he hardly thought or moved. Eyes fixed up, he did not blink.

On the dark walls; on the ceiling; on the stone floors, everywhere he looked her dark eyes shone through like a lantern. He saw her pale skin radiating like a bright candle to chase away the shadows. Everywhere his eyes fell he saw her happy smile.

It had been so long since such joy filled his dead body like warm spring air. Vince's skin tingled as if tiny electric shocks were rippling across his flesh in pleasant waves. Slowly he let his eyes drift shut and again he saw her as last, asleep. How peaceful she had looked, dejected yet peaceful.

"Stay sweet my little dove." Vince breathed sullenly to his empty chamber.

No candles were lit. No swirling incense burned in patterns to drug the room with sleep. There were no windows to let any amount of moon light in. The Prince lay on his cold bed in the pitch black nothingness he had come to grow apart of after so many years; hundreds of years and nothing but the dark and the cold. Vince signed softly. It was becoming harder to fight off his approaching dead slumber.

"Lydia, my Princess…" He thought out load. "Will you be happy still?" The haunting thought made his face wrinkle in pain. Death changed many people. It made them more depressed. It made them feel more isolated and alone. Eventually it could make them wild, insane even, more primitive and angry. Others felt at peace, liberated from a life of hardship and were no longer alone. When these ghosts came to the Neitherworld, they found much more than life on Earth ever offered them. Vince wondered what Lydia would find. He was almost scared of the very idea.

The air shifted significantly, quiet whispers seeped in through the corners of his room. Vince's eyes snapped open and dodged around in a frightful curiosity. He sat up slowly, his eyes making out nothing in the dark. He chose not to see; chose not to be aware of his own intuition. Not yet.

Vince jumped to his feet. He stood for a long moment in the dark listening, listening to the throaty murmurs that made his skin prickle with an intense and uneasy paranoia. Holding out his hand, a small glow ignited the room in a dull blue flush. No one presented themselves to him and no movement caught his eye. Vince realized he was still alone. The whispers were from somewhere else in his castle, close too. Silently listening he couldn't recognize a voice in the hushed conversation bouncing off his walls. His eyes move in and out of the shadows, listening hard into what the voices where trying to say.

Male…

Male

Female

Nothing…

Nothing…

Quiet…

Silence…

The voices returned again more hushed and frantic.

Male

Female

Male

Male

Female

Female

Nothing…

Male

Male

Male

..Dead….

Dead whispers

Dead

Alive

_Beetlejuice…_

"Lydia!" Vince stated in a shocked gasp before bolting for his door.

---

Lydia bit her lip, pondering over what Beetlejuice has said to her. She sat quietly on the bed with a single sheet wrapped around her body. The air felt cold on her bare skin and it caused her to shiver. Beetlejuice forward against her back and rub her upper arm slowly.

"Why can't you just forget them…stay here with me…" He said again in a hushed tone.

"They're my parents BJ… how can I just disappear on them?" Her eyes drifted down to her lap and she sighed. "What do you expect to happen if I stay anyways…I mean… Vince-"

Beetlejuice groaned, burying his face into Lydia soft hair. "Don't say his name… that brat is already toying with my last nerve. If he weren't already dead I'd kill him!" He noticed Lydia shift. The bed sheet had tightened around her and back straightening a fraction. _Did that idea bother her? ... _

"Lyds…I uh…" He started but stopped himself ad her shoulders relaxed.

"It's ok." She breathed. Lydia guessed she had made Beetlejuice uncomfortable in someway. She sighed gently.

Beetlejuice mused over her low tone of voice. Unsure of what he should say he decided to stand. Lydia looked up at him through her bangs and smiled quietly. He leaned down to kiss her forehead once before hunting for his pants.

Once on he came back to her side, _where could you possibly take me that they couldn't find?_ was all he heard. Her lips silently mouthed words but no sound came out. Her head once again lowered, eyes glazed over in a dazed manner.

"What's the worst that can happen?" He joked giving her a half hearted smirk.

"Pretty well my life right now is the worst that could happen." Her sarcasm made Beetlejuice laugh which only caused her to frown in return. "B…please… I'm serious…."

His laugher subsided as quickly as it came. Sitting next to her and looking her in the eye he answered, "I know you are. Sucks too… I'm more of a 'make it up as ya go along' kind of guy. Not one for real planning ahead or being serious." He smiled idly.

"But you're dead, I'm not. How am I supposed to keep up with you running around like that?"

"Just stop asking questions Lyds. It's Do or Don't. And besides, I'd look after you."

"I want to go home." She persisted giving him a worn-out look. Beetlejuice pushed her bangs back with a red tipped finger and shrugged. They sat for a moment in a comfortable silence. Lydia rested her hand on top of his, holding it to her cheek. Softly she smiles, eyes lighting up. Beetlejuice didn't smile back nor did he reply. He just sat staring into her eyes and cursed himself for ever letting her out of his sight.

"What is it?" She asked. Beetlejuice didn't even know if he had heard her or not, just that her lips moved slightly. He shook his head and chuckled under his breath pulling away from her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her pout at his actions. _'Ah babes…'_ Beetlejuice thought with a smile. _'You're a silly kid.'_

Lydia moved closer to his side and rested a hand on his cold shoulder. She could exactly put her finger on what made him tick. He confused her to no end and yet she loved it.

Beetlejuice looked down at her and signed. "We should get going." He said lazily before kissing her once more on her lips. She kissed him back slowly before moving to let her feet rest on the floor. Beetlejuice jumped to his feet to help. Lydia still held the bed sheets around her tightly and blushed in embarrassment as it almost fell off.

She fixed the sheet up around her shoulders. As she went to push her hair out of her face she felt her body pulled forward and held tightly. Lydia found herself in an almost suffocating embrace against Beetlejuice's chest. She heard a low growl rumble in his chest. Lydia stiffened slowly trying to turn to look behind her but Beetlejuice's arms only tightened farther around her body.

"Let her go Beetlejuice. I warned you what would happen if you came back."

Beetlejuice bared his teeth at his advisory. "Fuck you." He snarled violently.

Vince glared at the two, his eyes glowed a deep purple in anger. "I will not be disobeyed Beetlejuice. I will go through her to get to you." His voice was hard and serious. It was not a threat but a promise.

Beetlejuice frowned, "You won't hurt her. We both know that. You're not that stupid."

Vince smiled cruelly looking at Lydia with hurt eyes. He held out her hand to her, "Lydia, my sweet, come here. I will spare you if you come to me." Lydia couldn't help but cower into Beetlejuice. Vince saw her recoil and lowered his hand. "Fine then, you will also die."

Beetlejuice could feel Lydia shaking against his side. Angrily he ground his teeth together glaring at the Prince. Vince's threat would not stand with him, he was sure of it. It was the straw to break his back. Beetlejuice stepped in front of Lydia, hiding her from Vince's sight and reach.

From behind him Lydia was burying her face into his back. She closed her eyes tightly.

"Look you brat, she's mine, you won't touch her!" Beetlejuice yelled at Vince. Mentally he hated how shaken his voice sounded.

"You can't control the situation. You are not nearly as powerful as you think, especially compared to myself." Vince came closer to the two, stopping short of only a few feet. "Now get away from the girl Beetlejuice!"

"Make. Me." He spat through clenched teeth.

"Now, now Beetlejuice let us be civil." Vince chuckled pointing a thin finger at Lydia.

Her voice cracked in her throat in surprise. As if time and motion had slowed down, her knees gave out and she slowly slid to the floor at Beetlejuice's feet. In shock Beetlejuice looked down at Lydia. Her eyes were open wide, the colour was draining from her face and she gasped for air like a fish on the shore.

Beetlejuice dropped beside Lydia's body which began to violently thrash about. Shaking and twitching. Her hands searched for something to cling to; to sink her nails into. Beetlejuice touched her face. He could feel the warmth leave the pale flesh on her jaw.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?" Beetlejuice yelled at the Prince as he pulled Lydia's body up into his lap.

"I'd advise you to keep your voice low Beetlejuice." Vince said circling him like a vulture. Beetlejuice's eye twitched trying to resist the urge to scream threats. No one told him what to do. "I can have my guards here within seconds."

Vince stood off, keeping a distance from Beetlejuice and his little human.

"Stop this!"

"That's up to you Beetlejuice. There's only enough air in her lungs to last her another three minutes. We can either, stand around and watch her die…or you can surrender now."

Beetlejuice's nostrils flared as he snorted. "She's not your god damn play thing!"

Vince grinned. "But she's yours?" He tested. "I find that mighty selfish of you. Besides Beetlejuice, I warned you this would happen. It's your own fault. You're to blame."

"You little-"

"Tick, Tock Beetlejuice. Once she dies, she will not join us." Vince said glaring down impatiently.

"What?"

"She's in the Neitherworld Beetlejuice. Humans can't die here! Her soul will disintegrate before it even leaves her body." Vince's voice held strong. He stood his ground and refused to move from it.

Beetlejuice slid Lydia off of him; she rolled onto her side, fits of coughing and gasps leaving her mouth. Beetlejuice tore his eyes away from her frame towards Vince. A silent breath fell from his lips.

In a flash Beetlejuice lunged forward at the Prince grabbing him tightly around the neck. "I don't like you." He said calmly before erupting in a loud cackle. "Now let her live or I will tare your soul to pieces." He gave him a toothy grin, his nails bit into the back of Vince's neck painfully.

Vince whimpered in fear, his hands scratching away at Beetlejuice's knuckles trying to get free. He tried to speak but couldn't from the tightness of Beetlejuice's hold. Beetlejuice shook his arms and the Prince aggressively. "Let her go you!" He yelled, spitting in Vince's face in anger. In Vince's fear he waved his hand quickly.

Beetlejuice tossed Vince aside. His body made a heavy thud on the floor. From behind he could hear Lydia hastily breathing air back into her lungs. Turning he looked at her sympathetically. She lay half on her back, arms wrapped around herself. She still trembled but it was only slightly. To Beetlejuice, she looked so fragile, scared, and in need.

Slowly he went back to her side, kneeling down to lightly stroke her arm.

"Let's get you home." Beetlejuice said with a small smile.

---

Time passed slowly. Lydia had fallen asleep against his arm and he had been to afraid to move her. Beetlejuice watched her sleep. Her slightly parted lips and the rhythmic breaths she took. He sighed gently as the night went on quietly.

After a while the warm lump of breathing love stirred from her sleep.

"Mornin' sunshine." Beetlejuice chuckled giving Lydia a kiss on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Lydia flushed before returning his good morning kiss. "I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"I'm not surprised…" He said taking hold of her forearms. "Everything's back to normal babes."

"Yeah, I guess so." She snuggled up into his neck and closed her eyes once more. Sighing she smiled. Beetlejuice ran his fingers over the veins in Lydia's arms. The light tracing movement made her giggle. "I don't remember this being something we did."

"Not really… but it's nice isn't it?" Beetlejuice asked. Lydia nodded.

Suddenly she pushed herself up onto his chest. "By the way, what was that _she's mine_ business?" Lydia teased, faking a miffed look. Beetlejuice answered with a smug grin and a lazy shrug.

"Sorry babes. You not like that?" He asked pulling her close to him.

Lydia tilted her head up to look at him. "I didn't say that." She placed her chin down on her hands over his chest and smiles at his stubbornness. "You're not going to leave again are you?"

Beetlejuice looked at her questionably. "Why would I? I thought you may be a little scared of the two up stairs." He groaned loudly.

"Oh shit I forgot about them…"

Lydia shook her head and smiled, "They'll get used to it." She said leaning up to his lips.

"Good. I ain't leaving you alone for a moment." Beetlejuice told her giving her a quick kiss. Lydia exhaled lightly against his mouth. He chuckled again, pressing her to his lips once more in a long kiss.

---

Review Comments:

Pendras: Hey new reader! Hope the ending suits you. Thanks for reading!!

Hinata245: Devoted fan girls?? Awesome! Enjoy the last chapter.

VictorianLydia: teehee. Here's the rest. Hope you liked it.

SeductressofDarkness: Ah you don't have to cry, it was a happy ending! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing as much as you have! Big smiles and hugs. Thanks!!!

CCVenus10: I'm still here so don't worry. Ah Vince, a little schizophrenic but really is a wimp. We love him. Or at least I do. He's like a puppy!

Siamese2005: Yay you're back! Here is your update! Hope it's decent and that you like it!

Yaoiholic28: I know! You can just imagine the anger in his eyes. Glad you liked the last chapter. Hope this one was just as good.

Lover not a : Aw why does everyone cry? I know it's cute but I don't mean to make you all cry. I'm sorry! Hope it was good though. *puppy eyes*

Cybernetic Mango: no need to feel bad for anyone. It's happy, and now really cute! Hope you enjoyed it!

Roolsilver: I didn't forget any of you guys! Hope you like this last chapter.

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A/N: Hey, for all those still kicking around here is that soundtrack I was talking about! It's sorta in an order but yeah. Since sometimes you might not get it, read the stuff in the brackets after the song.

1. Blood Red Sandman by: Lordi (The idea for the first/second chapter)

2. Bleed it out by: Linkin Park

3. Give me Your Eyes by: Brandon Heath

4. Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse (I don't know. It felt like the right song for the ending of chapter five)

5. Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows (Chapter six. Duh)

6. Denial by: Sugarbabes (I never heard of it before tonight…it works and that's creepy)

7. Get Over It by: Avril Lavigne (Lydia's feelings in chapter eight)

8. Without You from: Rent (I know that's a bit weird but it fits in between the end of chapter eight up to chapter ten)

9. Crash 'n' Burn by: Savage Garden

10. Mein Herz Brennt by: Rammstein (more or less but I like the chorus)

11. Think Twice" By: Eve﻿ 6 (More or less. A few lines and all from Vince's point of view)

12. Primal Scream by: Motley Crue (Title of chapter fourteen)

13. I think I'm paranoid by: Garbage (Idea for the finial title)


End file.
